A PriceWaterhouseCoopers report released Monday says newspapers will survive, but that they'll have to transform themselves into hyperlocal entities with extensive online operations.
They'll be smaller, there will be fewer of them, but they will not easily garner support. On the other hand, the brand is more important than the medium, so strong brands will endure if operated well. Print will continue to be the principal revenue generator for some time to come.
The newspaper/Web operation of the future needs to examine the content realms that offer opportunities for subscription support. One sleeper issue: sustainable production methods are important. But people are prepared to pay for high quality, it says.
"Newspapers have a long-term future and will coexist with other media. However this is unlikely to be either in the formats or volumes seen today and there will some casualties and losses of well-known papers along the way," the report says.
