Newspapers Can Bail Themselves Out With a Modern Business Model

North Star Writers Group ^ | December 18, 2008 | Dan Calabrese

[Invisigoth]

Many years ago, the late visionary writer Michael Crichton wrote an op-ed piece that basically predicted everything that has since happened in the newspaper industry. He talked about how information would be delivered electronically to people’s own personal devices, and how these technological advances would render the printed newspaper obsolete.

One of the newspapers that was actually willing to run the piece was my hometown Detroit News, but it ran a rebuttal alongside from a staff member who excoriated Crichton for having the gall to say such things.

The newspaper industry is in financial trouble, not because reporting and journalism are less valued, but because the business and delivery model of the industry has already become obsolete. People get their news from online sources more than any other. And many of those who still cling to the physical printed newspaper are older people who are doing so out of habit.

Crichton saw this coming before most people did, but a lot of people saw it coming soon enough that the newspaper industry could have started making changes earlier to prepare for the transition of the industry.

[Dr. Sivana]

Yeah, but where is that 3-D holographic filing room from “Disclosure?”

[ClearCase_guy]

Or they could cut the bias.

[MindBender26]

Newspapers cannot save themselves. There is no business justification to cutting down trees, hauling them to the pulpmill, making paper, hauling them to the newspaper, applying ink, driving them to the readers’ homes, (all very polluting activities, by the way) when you can do it all with a few electrons, and get the news there 8 hours sooner.

Online newspapers are failures because no matter how much they try, they can't get the readers to read the soap ads.

Newspapers are not about news. They are nothing more daily-magazine carrier media for advertising. The car dealers are beginning to go away from newspapers in droves. That will be the end of them.

[NonValueAdded]

“Better Red than Read; whoops, we’re Dead!”

[ottbmare]

You know, it’s easy to say that the media have done this to themselves by presenting a universally liberal viewpoint, but the fact is that half the people in this country vote Democrat, and if even a quarter of these liberal voters bought newspapers, the papers would prosper. And they don’t.

Also, the experiment of the Washington Times shows that a conservative viewpoint does not prosper any better than the liberal ones do. This is a sound conservative newspaper full of articles by the best columnists and writers. But it’s not economically viable either: few people buy the physical paper.

I live in a prosperous upscale community full of educated people who like to read, and our town’s Borders is closing.

No, the age of print media is over.

[bray]

They nailed half the problem of the obamedia. The other half is an absolute slavery to the DNC which insults half of your customers. Unfortunately those are the ones who buy your product.

Pray for W and Our Troops

[ClearCase_guy]

I understand that. You raise very valid points. But I have to say that I used to subscribe to 4 newspapers (NYT, Boston Globe, WSJ, and a local) and I dropped them all because of their liberal viewpoint. The WSJ was the last to go -- it was mostly OK until Murdoch bought it and pushed it further to the left. That's when they lost me.

Fair reporting might not be enough to save the industry, but I would say that if there is to be any hope, then fairness will have to be part of the picture.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

The modern business model is to run your business into the ground then let the taxpayers bail you out.

[reformedliberal]

I am older. I have been reading for pleasure for 60 years. I spend 3 hrs+/day reading online, mostly news, but also a fair amount of DIY/how-to articles and I buy 90% of my reading material from Amazon. I probably spend upwards of $400-$600/year on books, mostly science fiction. My husband spends an equal amount on adventure/sailing/DIY/how to books. We read our local paper online.

My problem with the bookstores is that I cannot always find what I want, so it can be frustrating and a waste of time. If I spend $25+ at a time, I pay no shipping from Amazon, so it isn’t more expensive and it is much more convenient.

[EQAndyBuzz]

“Newspapers are not about news. They are nothing more daily-magazine carrier media for advertising. The car dealers are beginning to go away from newspapers in droves. That will be the end of them. “

There is a very simple solution which will cost next to nothing to implement.

1. Get rid of every writer who isn’t covering local news.
2. Get rid of every editor.
3. The local news writers have just become editors. They will be responsible for taking all wire stories and scrubbing bias out of them.
4. The local news writers will become the editorialists. All editorials that are politically motivated will have both sides to the argument printed.
5. Sell all corporate assets except the printing facility. And if multiple papers can share a facility and still get their papers out on time, even better.
6. Keep the syndicated columnists. If it is political, you have to have one from each side of the aisle. Use it for fluff.
7. National, International news, weather, sports and business are canned. Using a template for building the paper, these can get plugged in anywahere.
8. Keep a media sales rep on staff to sell ad placements.
9. Feature crossword puzzles from around the globe.

You can now pretty much work out of a store front, you are getting non-biased news coverage and your overhead is next to nothing.

[wildbill]

They should buy every subscriber one of those hand held ereaders with wifi capability. It needn’t have two way capability, just receiving which would be cheaper.

Then, you would see commuters opening their ereaders on the subway or Dad lounging in his chair at home to read the sports without havign to have a full computer.

[Inappropriate Laughter]

Crappy NorthStar spam.