[kabar]

About 85% of newspaper revenue comes from advertisments. Sales are important not as a source of revenue, but rather, for circulation numbers that drive ad revenue, i.e., the greater the circulation, the more you can charge for ads. We are starting to see US newspapers being distributed for free similar to what has been happening to a greater degree in Europe. The money is in advertising, not sales.

The problem with the print media is that people can use the internet and cable TV to get their news. And the younger generation is moving away from the print media because they have grown up with the new technology. Newspaper readers are older and they are dying out.

The newspapers are also torn between how they use their ad revenue, i.e., on the internet for their online edition or in the printed version. In some ways, the demise of the print media is not a good thing. Newspapers are a good vehicle to educate the public on issues in-depth. They also have the advantage of portability, but wireless technology is even competing with that.

The future of print newspapers is bleak.

[No Truce With Kings]

“The future of print newspapers is bleak.”

I imagine the town cryer’s union went through a similar transition.