 |
 |
 |
|
You're not seeing what's actually happening
About four years ago, I cancelled our local daily. I'm a former newspaper editor and publisher, and a newspaper junkie; at times, I've paid for - and read - subscriptions to as many as seven out-of-town dailies. I'm still a news junkie. I follow newspaper or television websites in five cities I used to live near, and for a half-dozen hours daily, CNN or MSNTV is playing in the background. I found, though, that half the newspapers delivered were being put in the recycle bin, unopened. When I leave the house, I often end up in a waiting room, or at a restaurant. I try to stop and buy a newspaper or two before that, so I can read while waiting for my food or my appointment. But I end up buying 7 newspapers per month, instead of 7 per day. If you look at the circulation numbers, you'll find I'm not the only one who no longer finds newspapers essential. Think of it as the long tail: many of us are getting the news we're interested in, instead of the news a local publishing company thinks we ought to be interested in. A half-hour news broadcast only gives you the words of one page of news - but since they can tell their stories with motion and sound, they don't need as many words. And if you take a look at the newspaper, most of it isn't news, anyway. Advertisers love newspapers because they want to reach every home - but that's just an illusion. Some people only read the sports section. Others never read it. I love to read "Letters to the Editor", but many people never open to the editorial pages. Some people study the TV listings; others subscribe to favorite shows, and let TiVO record suggestions. When an industry is in trouble, stronger companies buy up weaker ones, a process called "consolidation". Viewing Murdoch's activities as a positive sign is pretty silly. For every buyer, there's a seller. It isn't always true that for every seller, there's a buyer, though: Knight-Ridder had a terrible time trying to dump some of the newpapers they had, even at fire sale prices. What do newspapers have, that other media does poorly? Legal ads, obits, engagement notices, high school sports. Within a couple of years, though, you're going to have local sites doing a good job with obits, engagements and weddings, and high school sports. You're whistling in the dark, Doc. Radio siphoned off a lot of advertising revenue from newspapers, then television took more, and now the internet, and yet newspapers have been increasingly dependent on advertising. In the last 40 years, circulation has dropped from providing 25% of a newspaper's revenue, to less than 10%. What happens to the newspaper when the advertising dries up?
|
