In fact, if there isn’t a radical change in the newspaper business, newspapers are dead.
You can blame it on the internet, you can blame it on the evolution of newsgathering, in the end, it doesn’t really matter why or how this medium is dying, all that matters is that their death is on the brink.
Can newspapers be saved?
Yes.
Newspapers started becoming a slower means of news ever since the birth and boom of radio. Just as they stand as the slowest means of media, today, they are equally the slowest to change. That characteristic will be its death, unless, the newspaper business can find a way to rebirth and reinvent like other mediums have.
Once television came to our sets, radio reinvented itself. Radio has undergone a number of major reincarnations, and with the power of the web, television is on the brink of doing the same thing. Newspapers have to do the same.
Molly Dilworth thought having images of her rooftop paintings on Google Earth would get people talking about art. So what did she do? She painted huge murals on rooftops. The experiment didn’t turn out like she hoped. Many of the images were over pixilated, etc … In a similar fashion, this same idea is being considered for advertising using multiple buildings across cities. With the rise of map apps and geo targeting, this concept may find a foothold. Find where the general population is placing their attention, stick up an ad, and you have revenue.
Newspapers don’t stand a chance in our current tech climate as they are. They need a change, a big change. They need to be reinvented.
Charles Cherry says
While I agree that the newspaper industry is close to death, I would hesitate to agree with the following statement:
“Just as they stand as the slowest means of media, today, they are equally the slowest to change.”
I would posit that weekly news magazines are much slower than daily newspapers. By the time a story comes out in one of the weekly newsmags, unless it is a total scoop, the story has already been beaten to death in the blogs, the cable news shows, and the online news sites. The only thing they have going for them is more in-depth coverage and lots of shiny pictures.
Eric Dye says
Exactly, unlike newspapers, magazines have been able to find their niche and keep it.
Newspapers have yet to do so.
Newspapers don’t have the time to be in-depth and focus like a magazine, but not fast enough to be on the edge.
The “new” has left “newspapers.”