[NEohioPAL]Re: Is the web killing the newspaper industry?

Tue Dec 6 14:05:45 PST 2005

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The internet isn't helping, but this decline started a long time ago,  
when "news delivered by computer" was something you'd see only in SF  
stories. Like the writer of that piece indicated, the easy  
availability of television "news" is a large part of the problem for  
newspapers (and I put that word in quotes because I don't think what  
you see on local stations can really be called news shows).

I speak as someone who spent 25 years in the business, at daily  
newspapers and a wire service. The writer blames 24-hour television  
news, but I think it's the entire television culture -- not just CNN,  
Fox, MSNBC -- that's also responsible. Later baby boomers and the  
generations that have followed grew up with the TV in the family room  
acting as a third "parent" and got used to the idea that learning is  
often delivered (in the best instances) by big yellow birds and soft- 
spoken guys in sweaters. You see this reflected in the schools:  
Education today has to be a multi-media production; the days of  
learning exclusively from the printed page are gone forever.

Another factor the writer fails to mention, though, is the  
decentralization of the working population. Where you have a large  
commuter class taking public transit to a downtown that's got a lot  
of businesses -- like the large East Coast cities and Chicago -- you  
have multiple newspapers that are doing better than what we see here  
in NE Ohio, because that's a strong readership base. A newsstand at a  
train station in Trenton, N.J., for example, will have 3 NY papers, 2  
Philadelphia papers, the 2 Trenton newspapers and the Newark Star  
Ledger (which covers the whole state) waiting for the morning  
commuter. Those driving to work, of course, are lost to the newspapers.

But you can't get everything in the PD on its website. For one thing,  
there are a lot of talented photographers and artists whose work is  
only available in the print edition. There's print content that is  
not ported to the website, too.

Johnny Wu may not have received a response to his email, but they do  
pay attention to the public. The problem is, the list of what the  
public wants is usually far too diffuse for a newspaper to satisfy.  
The surveys I saw when I worked for the PD generally had "local news"  
at the top of the list for what people felt was most important for  
the paper. But local news from Medina is of little or no interest in  
Euclid or Chagrin Falls. Devoting space to a tense city council  
meeting in Westlake will draw few readers in Mentor unless there are  
unusual aspects to it or unless it's dealing with an issue that every  
community deals with.

The PD's decision to eliminate audition notices may seem  
shortsighted, but if this information is easily available elsewhere  
(like right here on this list) for the majority of people who'd look  
through it, it makes no sense for the paper to devote resources to it.

Where's this going to end? No one knows. I'm sure a lot of  
journalistic eyes are on the NY Times to see whether its decision to  
remove some of its content from the free website will bear any fruit.  
Most of what you have to pay for there is opinion, and I cannot think  
of anyone's opinion I'd be willing to pay to read. No one alive,  
certainly.

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<HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; =
-khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>The internet isn't helping, =
but this decline started a long time ago, when "news delivered by =
computer" was something you'd see only in SF stories. Like the writer of =
that piece indicated, the easy availability of television "news" is a =
large part of the problem for newspapers (and I put that word in quotes =
because I don't think what you see on local stations can really be =
called news shows).</DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I speak as someone who =
spent 25 years in the business, at daily newspapers and a wire service. =
The writer blames 24-hour television news, but I think it's the entire =
television culture -- not just CNN, Fox, MSNBC -- that's also =
responsible. Later baby boomers and the generations that have followed =
grew up with the TV in the family room acting as a third "parent" and =
got used to the idea that learning is often delivered (in the best =
instances) by big yellow birds and soft-spoken guys in sweaters. You see =
this reflected in the schools: Education today has to be a multi-media =
production; the days of learning exclusively from the printed page are =
gone forever.</DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Another factor the writer =
fails to mention, though, is the decentralization of the working =
population. Where you have a large commuter class taking public transit =
to a downtown that's got a lot of businesses -- like the large East =
Coast cities and Chicago -- you have multiple newspapers that are doing =
better than what we see here in NE Ohio, because that's a strong =
readership base. A newsstand at a train station in Trenton, N.J., for =
example, will have 3 NY papers, 2 Philadelphia papers, the 2 Trenton =
newspapers and the Newark Star Ledger (which covers the whole state) =
waiting for the morning commuter. Those driving to work, of course, are =
lost to the newspapers.</DIV><DIV>=A0</DIV><DIV><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span">But you can't get <SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"text-decoration: =
underline;">everything</SPAN>=A0in the PD on its website. For one thing, =
there are a lot of talented photographers and artists whose work is only =
available in the print edition. There's print content that is not ported =
to the website, too.</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Johnny Wu may not have =
received a response to his email, but they do pay attention to the =
public. The problem is, the list of what the public wants is usually far =
too diffuse for a newspaper to satisfy. The surveys I saw when I worked =
for the PD generally had "local news" at the top of the list for what =
people felt was most important for the paper. But local news from Medina =
is of little or no interest in Euclid or Chagrin Falls. Devoting space =
to a tense city council meeting in Westlake will draw few readers in =
Mentor unless there are unusual aspects to it or unless it's dealing =
with an issue that every community deals with.</DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>The PD's decision to =
eliminate audition notices may seem shortsighted, but if this =
information is easily available elsewhere (like right here on this list) =
for the majority of people who'd look through it, it makes no sense for =
the paper to devote resources to it.</DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Where's this going to end? =
No one knows. I'm sure a lot of journalistic eyes are on the NY Times to =
see whether its decision to remove some of its content from the free =
website will bear any fruit. Most of what you have to pay for there is =
opinion, and I cannot think of anyone's opinion I'd be willing to pay to =
read. No one alive, certainly.=A0</DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></BODY></HTML>=

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