More than a decade ago the debate began.
First there were the true believers in print. They asserted the slow-loading, computer-crashing Internet would never replace the trusted newspaper.
Then there were the early adopters. They believed the new media would fully take the place of the inky, once-a-day newspaper.
Then there were the debates: The degree of content that should be placed online, the degree of content that should first be placed online, the degree of content that should only be placed online.
Free. Or paid. Or linked to a print subscription. Or added to a print subscription.
The short-form video, Epic 2015, predicted that the commoditization of content would predicate an elite, offline New York Times.
Tell Rall, in his alternative weekly blog, suggests there is no other choice for newspapers but to take three routes: go offline, protect everything with copyright, and discontinue the wire services. He sees that course of action as the last chance for the ailing newspaper business in the U.S.
It makes for an interesting read, and it's not nearly as retro as one might think.
The self-described curmudgeonly blog, CounterValue, has identified the 12-point survival strategy for so-called "subs" --- the deskers we call them in North America --- as newspapers become newsrooms and the print medium integrates with online media. The print media in the U.S. is in a general decline, but the growth in Web traffic continues to be heartening. Jonathan Dube's interview with Arianna Huffington on Poynter Online provides advice from the hottest (4.55m UVs) news Web site: Get a point of view, be accessible and prompt, and show your decision-making. Borrell Associates has released an eye-catching report today indicating that some 39 per cent of the print revenue from Yellow Pages will disappear in the next five years. That's a $5-billion bite. A bit of a plug for itself in today's Times on Verve Wireless, the U.S. firm attempting to put the newspaper (like the Times) on a mobile platform like the BlackBerry. The challenge, the company notes, is that most local papers don't have the resources to do this. Verve will, in exchange for part of the ad revenue. The other challenge that the piece doesn't discuss is the mobile platform --- although the iPhone and other such devices are getting close. In the search for new ways for journalism to do business, one of the biggest challenges is sorting through the effectiveness of advertising. Gawker reopens a debate many newsrooms have spent countless hours agonizing: Just how valuable is reader-added commentary on content? Anonymity is hardly the best way to commit journalism. It will be one of those classic loss leaders, mainly aimed at proving that technology can be presented more than proving that technology can be presented affordably. But Esquire magazine will use an e-ink cover for its September issue. A tiny battery will power the cover and Ford will place a significantly expensive ad with a moving automobile on the inside cover. The production process will move from China to Texas to Mexico to the U.S. market. |