The writing on the blog: Newspapers need to shut down their presses and move completely online
With the recent bankruptcy filing of the Tribune company, parent company for The Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, etc., the writing on the wall, or perhaps “blog”, seems fairly clear. Newspapers need to change tactics as fast as they can and move to online only operations. Any burdened by substantial debt have even fewer options.
News and information has never been constrained by any medium when the consumer can get it in another preferred medium. Why seek out the print edition of the newspaper when you can whip out your laptop and navigate to the newspaper web site? Why wait until the 6 p.m. broadcast or pay for cable to have access to CNN when you can receive text messages or RSS feeds on your cel phone about news updates? And someday, when scientists figure out how to beam news and information directly into our brains while we sleep, us journalists will have to grapple with that technology too.
Problem is we love covering change, but hate making it.
Newspaper companies will groan about the upheval in the economy, the rapid changes in technology, etc., but much of the problem lies in the fact that we like doing things the way we have always done them. After all, we have taken great pride in our occupation and the institutions we work for. Walk into the Star Tribune main office downtown and you’ll notice the building, the photos and stories framed neatly on the walls, and the smell of tradition. We can’t be expected to let go of that! We are obligated to honor the past, the role newspapers have played in shaping community and engaging its citizenry.
But, while we’re wringing our hands in frustration over all that stands to be forgotten or compromised, our readers are turning to the sources that match their needs and lifestyles. Computers, iPods, Blackberries, and the Internet have replaced the phone book, newspaper, television, and radio. If journalists and news organizations want to stay relevant and stay alive, then they need to practice their craft primarily through these new mediums. I loved Clay Shirky’s blog about this.
Personally, I expect to have a job 20 years from now in the journalism business, but I can say with almost complete certainty that it will not be for an organization that has a print product or a station dial on the TV. Nevertheless, newspaper owners will find themselves going down with a sinking ship because they think it’s too early to jump overboard. From a business standpoint closing up the printing presses and shutting down the print advertising and distribution departments may seem like financial suicide, but I say take the chance or face financial death by other means.
Granted, I’m not a businessman. But, with the rising cost of paper, the heavy costs of distribution (gas prices will go back up) it doesn’t seem like that much of a leap. Heck, if I were starting a newspaper today (which you may notice no one is these days) I wouldn’t even bother to have a print edition. (Perhaps a “printable” edition). MinnPost.com is a great example and a bold endeavor. They may not be making any money, yet, but that doesn’t mean they won’t or can’t, or that they won’t develop a successful, sustainable model of non-profit news. Look at the pool of editorial talent they have writing for them. This is the future. (I just wish they’d embrace a lot more multimedia technology…)
Now, some may read this post and note that many small newspapers, like those at ECM, are still economically viable and that our print editions are still a valuable commodity in our suburban and rural communities. We may weather the storms of change longer and better than our big brothers and sisters, but the same changes will be needed here. If it makes money, keep doing it, just be sure you have a backup plan and strategy for keeping pace with the business model of the future. News and information, even in smaller, more traditional communities is increasingly being conveyed over the Internet. Our operation will need to concentrate on that aspect of doing business while the print edition subscribers will increasingly need to pay more of the costs of a printed paper themselves. That means subscriptions will have to up dramatically. (That oughta clear up any misconceptions we have about reader loyalty.) Classifieds aren’t going to foot the bill anymore. Print ads will continue to decline no matter the market. No one is immune and failing to get your vacinations now is foolhardy.
Or, I guess you can always go down with the ship.
Jeff,
A great post with a lot of insight. I wish that all media outlets took to embracing technology even better than their current attempts. While there are individuals in the system that are willing to buck the traditions, it seems that the upper echelons are still stuck in days that are long gone. Hopefully this unfortunate bankruptcy news was the wake up call that will change the face of print media to bring it more in line with exactly what the consumer wants.
Bill
For the dailies, I think in most cases it is already too late. Way too late. The Tribune is bankrupt, the NYT is mortgaging the only assets it has – real property, and everyone is just waiting for the mayday call from the Strib.
If weeklies are smart, they will position the industry to fill the void left by the dailies. In large part, that will have to involve a major online presence to reduce the expense of expanded news coverage.
Unfortunately for the journalism industry, it has embraced the internet but whenever someone inquires about making it pay, the answer is “we’re working on it.”
You are right, print is dead. But that should be a liberating experience for newspapers. No more presses, no more plants, no more trucks, no more ink or paper. It is only a clinging to what once was that is forcing the industry’s demise.
I completely disagree that print is dead. It’s just no longer the featured product.
MinnPost is what journalism is all about because it does not intend to be profitable!!!
“MinnPost.com is a great example and a bold endeavor. They may not be making any money, yet, but that doesn’t mean they won’t or can’t, or that they won’t develop a successful, sustainable model of non-profit news. Look at the pool of editorial talent they have writing for them. This is the future. (I just wish they’d embrace a lot more multimedia technology…)”
Non-profit journalism should be the standard. News dissemination is a public service. You’re not going to be increasing advertising dollars through RSS feeds or links. In fact, you’re not going to increase advertising dollars. Period.
Jeff, you can tell the captain of the ship the coordinates for the future of journalism and they can try to head in that direction, but if you don’t know what to do once you’re there, it’s pointless. The idea is that a community newspaper’s website will drive so much traffic and interest that it make CCN viewers cancel their cable subscriptions in hopes of getting the best news coverage via text messages and RSS feeds? Come… on….
The problem is that not that newspapers have failed to alter their business model for the future; the problem is that the business model is still based on profit.
I didn’t get into the industry because it was a way to make bank, but I also didn’t settle on this industry. I believe in supplying the public with facts, opinion and entertainment. I believe print journalism and online media can, will and must coexist.
If news dissemination is a “public service,” than it must be supported publicly. If that is to be the case, it will put government – the very entity journalism is to designed to protect the people from – in charge of journalism.
There would be no quicker way to erode a free press than to let government control the purse strings of media.
News is, and should always be, a privately driven industry. It is the only way to insure media isn’t compromised.
To hear someone say they would rather give up the ethic of not being beholden to government because its easier than creating a workable business model is rather frightening.
Profit results from excellence. Industries rise and fall. What we perceive as media will reappear in another, profitable form. To suggest that what we have now is so valuable the world can’t do without it in its current form (and therefore it must be socialized) is vanity pure and simple.
There was a great interview on MPR Dec. 11 about newspapers’ red ink (http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/12/11/midday1/?refid=0) in which Jane Kirtley said newspapers are still profitable, but it’s the huge amounts of debt that are dragging the major companies down.
My blog post may be a bit premature in that the print product still has a market and can bring in a profit, but my concern is watching each and every newspaper company die a slow and painful death, as seems to be happening here.
Journalism is a public service in that it should be free of influences from government or special interest and accountable to the people. The argument here is that the medium must and, like it or not, will change. Newspaper companies like Times Media, which publishes the St. Cloud Times are making smart moves by restructuring their organization to think “information” first, “medium” second. Contrast that with companies who continue to tout their strength as a “newspaper company”. We all need to be “information companies” of which our community newspapers are but one product with a dwindling shelf life.
I completely agree, and I don’t think my city appreciates how good the St. Cloud Times is at what they do. Smokestack, I think you might be offbase (although the confrontational tone is somewhat comforting in its familiarity). Being non-profit does not require government control, and as Jeff said, journalism is dependent upon being free from the influences of government and/or special interests. How many times has a story not been run because it would mean bad things for a business that advertises with your newspaper? Answer: If one or more, one or more times too many. If I pay $50 for my newspaper subscription for a year, I don’t expect to call up the paper and demand a story or else I won’t subscribe. Like Jeff points out, different mediums mean different ways of disseminating the news. “The media” is called the gatekeeper for a reason. Online journalism simply offers quicker admission to the show, but it ultimately comes down to what is being provided once you’re inside. It’s nice to know that established and somewhat influential journalistic figures like Jeff are guiding the industry into the future. I know he works on behalf of all journalists to improve the overall product — information.
Careful, I can feel my ego inflating already… do you think if I wore a cape to work it would be too much?