There are glimpses of the past and future of the newspaper industry in today's media headlines.
The past: Yet another six-month period of circulation declines, averaging 3.5 percent daily and 4.5 percent Sundays among the nation's top papers, including some real whoppers like a 9.3 percent drop in The New York Times' Sunday circulation. Even people I know who cancel daily newspapers say they'll hang on to the Sunday Times; maybe not so much.
But a few posts away on Romenesko today is a glimpse of the future—or at least one popular future. Today's the day that the Capital Times, in Madison, Wisc., switches to essentially all-online publication, a move it announced a couple months back.
The Cap Times isn't a major newspaper by any stretch, but it's taking the lead in a transition I suspect we'll see more of in the next (very) few years. (In some ways, it's already underway overseas.) Those ongoing declines in circulation and revenue are going to force print newspapers to come to grips with their future, and in many cases, that future will be online. And only online.
More reading: Ken Doctor has a good take on the circulation numbers and what they portend.
Without a doubt, the trend is, and has been content online. The paper dinosaur will continue to age and eventually become extinct, unless it evolves into a more useful means of delivering information, beyond the static, outdated information it's delivering today. Of course, my Dad, at age 78, still likes his paper. He's the only person I know that has time to read it with his morning coffee.
I'm surprised it's taking this long, however I recognize news organizations have people and processes in place and resistance to change is great. Editors, no offense..and I'm not trying to create a storm here, seem to be the most conservative, unwilling group to welcome change. At least that's been my experience..except for Mark, and a few others, of course!
Writing for the web requires a different writing style than writing for the paper, and traditional writers that have been writing for the paper will need to change, and/or new staff will need to be put in place. Maybe the future looks like this: Gen Xers or Yers are hired and type the online articles using text messaging short hand. (OMG! Strunk and White will roll over in their graves)
After all, I believe it's the Japanese youngsters who are writing recognized novels in this shorthand on their PDA's while they commute!
Finally, e-letters and e-alerts distributed by news organizations must improve in format and content, and need to become even more personalized and timely...PDA friendly will be a must.
The 'push' at the consumer world is gone. Welcome the 'pull' world - content when, where and how the user wants it 24/7. If you don't deliver the experience they want...somebody else will.
Posted by: linda smith | April 29, 2008 at 08:42 PM