I think of the current crisis, as if we are holding on to slippery roots during a mud slide. Meaning – well, I do like the metaphor, but meaning, changes will be coming to the newspaper industry which it chooses, or the changes which will be coming will be chosen for it, and out of its control. Right now, all I’m seeing really, is more and more layoffs, newspapers disappearing, less ads, less national and local news, higher subscription prices, and consistent annual losses by the media companies which own the papers – but no real adjustment to the crisis at hand, no new business model to adapt to today’s times. Is there a new idea, a new business model out there for the newspapers of the future?
Lots of passion and opinions out there among some of our friends about the future of newspapers –
“They need to be a free paper – fully relying on ads.” Antonio Capretta, owner — http://www.gameliveevents.com
“I hear you. My friends and relatives are saying the same thing as you. In addition to the economy, the newspaper business model does need to change. They are giving away the product for free on the internet when people are no longer reading the physical newspaper. They need to charge something for the content online instead of giving it away for free…The Wall Street Journal charges for online access. Having people work 32-35 hours a week won’t work because knowing the business, they would still keep people working overtime hours without the overtime pay. I heard The SF Chronicle’s Editor Phil Bronstein on the Ron Owens radio show a couple of weeks ago, he thinks fast forward to the future, newspapers as we know it will be gone. All the good public service from being a government watchdog to in depth story reporting will be gone where many other news sources get their news from and quote the news source as from being from a newspaper…” Craig Lee — http://www.craigleephotography.com
“As for me, I totally agree with you. Naturally, I want newspapers to succeed. But recently when I read the Chronicle after a particularly eventful day (something before or after the Inauguration), I realized that morning’s stories were all the same ones I’d read online the night before. I do read the paper every morning over coffee, but I certainly don’t rely on it like I used to. I agree that local news is the key – but there again, I can get local Alameda news from several blogs, from the AP&T website front page, the Alameda Sun’s website, and Don Roberts’ alamedadailynews.com. When I read these stories in the “hard copy” newspaper, they’re already a few days to a week old, plus I have to schlep around a bundle of paper and I can’t just send story links to my friends the way I have come to love doing.
Where’s my payoff in remaining loyal to old-school newspaper??
This relates to my rant about new technology in schools: “if you can’t beat it, you’ve got to join it”. We’re fighting a losing battle for kids’ gnatlike attention spans when we try to ignore the influence new technology has on their everyday lives. Instead, we need to “own” this influence and produce curricula that takes advantage of this same media. We can crow all we want about the need to discourage say, computer games, cellphones, iPods, etc. in school, but I think it would be much more effective and realistic to just commandeer these to our own ends.
For example: You’re a 13-year old in Social Studies class. The teacher challenges you to find, say, 3 examples of ethnic stereotyping in the media – American or international – commercial or otherwise – using whatever tools you have at hand – your Wi-Fi enabled cellphone, iPhone, iPod…Wireless facility on your Nintendo DS…whatever you can think of… You then discuss the found examples and the reliability of the sources, the way the images and examples are “deployed” in the media, to which audience, etc. I think this is much more exciting for a techno-wired class than to take turns reading aloud from a textbook. Talk about engaging them in the learning process! They could then add their web links, podcasts, images etc. to the class website, so they can later see any they missed. They can also do a class project using new media – a website, a movie, a Flash application etc. to show what they’ve learned. The idea is that you’re not only teaching them about Social Studies, you’re teaching them to navigate and critically evaluate the social issues in the Age of Information.” Jeannette Copperwaite, web designer and graphic designer
“I remember attending daily editorial meetings when USA Today first appeared. LAUGH? My, oh, my, all the editors agreed the new newspaper was a circus, a silly make-believe color comic full of weather graphics doomed to failure. Before long, the laughing stopped and the search for color expertise began in every newsroom in the country. Editors and publishers were caught flat-footed.
They were also surprised by the wave of leveraged buy-outs circa 1980 that was the first huge consolidation (mass extinction?) of local newspaper ownership nationwide. TV was biting into the advertising revenue in a really big way, making consolidation not just feasible but inevitable.
So now, just about 350 years into maturity, the printed newspaper faces extinction. The internet (e.g. GoogleAds) offers “intelligent” advertising, keyed to the content the viewer chooses to display. How can newspapers compete with such up-to-the-minute adaptability?
The business model/method for profitable operation of news gathering organizations funded by internet advertising has not yet emerged. It may never emerge. On the other hand, the operation of news gathering organizations funded by print advertising had its day and is clearly fading. The economy – and its effect on advertising – is compounding the losses in ad revenue. Stand aside and make way for the blogger.
Hah, Len’s kidding. Nope. Credible bloggers have already emerged as credentialed members of the press corps in numerous national events. Think how much more likely it will soon be for local news like city council meetings and police blotters and death notices/obituaries to become blog fodder exclusively, untouched by news organizations. Credible bloggers will attract local advertising. Popular bloggers will attract even more, so what if the credibility is a little shaky.
There’s my theory. We’ll soon be back to local news covered by local personalities, offering interactive pages for reader updates, corrections, and arguments. Some of the bloggers will achieve sufficient status to become regular freelance contributors to national organizations. Bloggers may team up or take on multiple roles to produce text/audio/video reports. But local newspapers? Hmmm, sounds like the breathing is getting pretty shallow.”
Len Cook, in his former life was the Director of Photography at the Alameda Newspaper Group, and is now owner of Lens Vision Studios — http://www.lensvisions.com
“I get all my news from newspaper websites. The NYT sets the standard that the rest must follow with WAPO a close second. I get a blend of news, both breaking and local from a mixture of sites through google news.
I knew this day was coming. I told many of it, but it was so hard to believe that newspapers could disappear…. But they will unless they admit that delivery modes have changed, interactivity has changed, and the role of the citizen journalist has revolutionized journalism by becoming inclusive rather than exclusive.
NO one waits to hear about things, they hear almost as they happen. No matter if its down the street at Johnnys little league ballgame, or sharing a moment with a soldier in Iraq, this all happens in real time.
When the invasion of Fallujah was hot and heavy I suggested that the reporter shed his responsibility to getting the “story” to becoming personal with the squad excluding all else. I told them that they should blog every hour if possible, as much as possible, and to upload videos. The idea was not accepted. They didn’t think people would tune in. Live bloggling of this sort, both visual and wordwise makes people identify characters and build relationships with the men you are with, all in real time.
Until newspapers are willing to take a real risk, and try something, they will continue to shrink. If we consider the craigslist debacle, you could understand what I am talking about. No one wanted to take a risk and offer online ads until the horse was gone out the barn long before. By the time newspapers got on board the race was over, and to top it off, the dumb bastards insisted on keeping their ancient business model of charging money to list everything, instead of charging for some, but giving want ads free and personals free. So their attempts to enter this lucrative market were dashed…….” Lloyd Francis Jr., worked as a staff photographer at the San Jose Mercury News and several other newspapers, in the 1980’s & 90’s. He is now working on his first novel.
“Look on the bright side–you’ll be generating less trash. Besides everything’s online anyway, including my new blog, alamedalorax.wordpress.com
—Shameless Self-Promoter” — Ani Dimusheva, writes about Alameda news and politics on her blog –
Sugar Pie DeSanto – “Queen of the West Coast Blues”
Dancer Nol Simonse
Veronica de Jesus creates Memorial Drawings
The Thrillpeddlers
Luke Butler, painter
Filmmaker Cary Cronenwett
David Wilson has built a memorial for his father at Wildcat Canyon, in Berkeley.
Singer Ty Segall
and did some beautiful family photos up in Seattle during our visit in July. That was a great trip! We were so glad to finally have our family up in Washington State get to know our sons. And so…we love that there’s always something different coming up.
