Comments on: Media: We are seeing the beginning of the end of print http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/2009/01/09/media-we-are-seeing-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-print/ News and Media from River City Sun, 07 Jun 2009 16:35:40 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Anon E. Mouse http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/2009/01/09/media-we-are-seeing-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-print/comment-page-1/#comment-11204 Anon E. Mouse Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:22:59 +0000 http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/?p=4156#comment-11204 My household just made the switch from 7-days a week to Sat-Sun only. It just made financial sense to us. My wife mostly wants the ads on the weekend. My household just made the switch from 7-days a week to Sat-Sun only.
It just made financial sense to us.
My wife mostly wants the ads on the weekend.

]]> By: tom http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/2009/01/09/media-we-are-seeing-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-print/comment-page-1/#comment-11184 tom Sun, 11 Jan 2009 03:47:13 +0000 http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/?p=4156#comment-11184 Information wants to be free, but info providers want to be paid. This still hasn't been settled to anybody's satisfaction. There are plenty of niches out there that can be exploited, but none of them will generate enough revenue to pay for things like covering the city council every week. Only way to make money online for sure is to buy something cheap and sell it for more than it costs you to acquire it. Information wants to be free, but info providers want to be paid. This still hasn’t been settled to anybody’s satisfaction.

There are plenty of niches out there that can be exploited, but none of them will generate enough revenue to pay for things like covering the city council every week.

Only way to make money online for sure is to buy something cheap and sell it for more than it costs you to acquire it.

]]> By: anotherexjser http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/2009/01/09/media-we-are-seeing-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-print/comment-page-1/#comment-11177 anotherexjser Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:24:50 +0000 http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/?p=4156#comment-11177 Billy may have posted this link somewhere, but just in case he he didn't, here's a Slate story about "how newspapers tried to invent the Web but failed": http://www.slate.com/id/2207912/?gt1=38001 I think it's pretty accurate. You'll see mention of "videotex" services in the piece. The Journal Star had such an experimental venture for a few years back in the '80s. It was a subsidiary called Compass Systems. It had two employees and operated out of a small office at News Plaza. Billy may have posted this link somewhere, but just in case he he didn’t, here’s a Slate story about “how newspapers tried to invent the Web but failed”:

http://www.slate.com/id/2207912/?gt1=38001

I think it’s pretty accurate. You’ll see mention of “videotex” services in the piece. The Journal Star had such an experimental venture for a few years back in the ’80s. It was a subsidiary called Compass Systems. It had two employees and operated out of a small office at News Plaza.

]]> By: Richard Paul http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/2009/01/09/media-we-are-seeing-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-print/comment-page-1/#comment-11176 Richard Paul Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:04:43 +0000 http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/?p=4156#comment-11176 Small businesses, particularly those that don't enjoy having a good high-traffic location and home-based businesses have a great deal to loose when and if they loose or have already lost the services of a local area printed newspaper. Imagine only having web-based ads and needing to reach a large group of local consumers with time-sensitive offers. I don't believe print media is ever going away for good. Reducing staff and print frequency is about the only recourse. Many will go out of business before finding the right balance, but some will eventually find solid ground in their bottom line. The online only "newspaper" is doomed because citizen journalists are taking more and more traffic away from those websites everyday. Good content is worth money, but only as much money as someone is willing to pay and it is getting more difficult than ever to find people willing to pay anything for content delivered online. If you are a citizen journalist trying to make a living with your online publication, you face the same challenges that any traditional media source website faces when it comes to getting local ad dollars and most of us can't compete for the national ad dollar. I could write and discuss this topic all day, but there are just a few of my own thoughts and opinions. Once again, great post Billy! Small businesses, particularly those that don’t enjoy having a good high-traffic location and home-based businesses have a great deal to loose when and if they loose or have already lost the services of a local area printed newspaper. Imagine only having web-based ads and needing to reach a large group of local consumers with time-sensitive offers.

I don’t believe print media is ever going away for good. Reducing staff and print frequency is about the only recourse. Many will go out of business before finding the right balance, but some will eventually find solid ground in their bottom line.

The online only “newspaper” is doomed because citizen journalists are taking more and more traffic away from those websites everyday. Good content is worth money, but only as much money as someone is willing to pay and it is getting more difficult than ever to find people willing to pay anything for content delivered online.

If you are a citizen journalist trying to make a living with your online publication, you face the same challenges that any traditional media source website faces when it comes to getting local ad dollars and most of us can’t compete for the national ad dollar. I could write and discuss this topic all day, but there are just a few of my own thoughts and opinions. Once again, great post Billy!

]]> By: anotherexjser http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/2009/01/09/media-we-are-seeing-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-print/comment-page-1/#comment-11171 anotherexjser Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:41:36 +0000 http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/?p=4156#comment-11171 Trees have to be cut down, transported and made into paper, which must be trucked to newspapers. Then the presses print the papers, which must be transported to drop-off points. Then carriers and motor route drivers have to take them to individual homes. Every step takes energy, largely from fossil fuels. Trees have to be cut down, transported and made into paper, which must be trucked to newspapers. Then the presses print the papers, which must be transported to drop-off points. Then carriers and motor route drivers have to take them to individual homes. Every step takes energy, largely from fossil fuels.

]]> By: mcsey http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/2009/01/09/media-we-are-seeing-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-print/comment-page-1/#comment-11170 mcsey Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:35:48 +0000 http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/?p=4156#comment-11170 So now we use a mostly non-renewable resource (fossil fuel generated electricity) to replace a mostly renewable and recyclable resource (cheap pulp paper) for our shared medium of news delivery. That seems backwards to me;) So now we use a mostly non-renewable resource (fossil fuel generated electricity) to replace a mostly renewable and recyclable resource (cheap pulp paper) for our shared medium of news delivery.

That seems backwards to me;)

]]> By: anotherexjser http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/2009/01/09/media-we-are-seeing-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-print/comment-page-1/#comment-11165 anotherexjser Sat, 10 Jan 2009 03:12:00 +0000 http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/?p=4156#comment-11165 I'd be willing to wager that the P-I will not go Web-only and will simply cease to exist. This will happen in several of the remaining two-newspaper towns in 2009. The Rocky Mountain News is likely to be first. The top video on this page http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008609677_webpi09m.html sent chills up my spine. Given the patronizing way the Hearst president blew smoke up the newsroom's a** in the second half of the video, he's lucky he didn't get about 50 shoes thrown at him. I’d be willing to wager that the P-I will not go Web-only and will simply cease to exist. This will happen in several of the remaining two-newspaper towns in 2009. The Rocky Mountain News is likely to be first.

The top video on this page http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008609677_webpi09m.html sent chills up my spine. Given the patronizing way the Hearst president blew smoke up the newsroom’s a** in the second half of the video, he’s lucky he didn’t get about 50 shoes thrown at him.

]]> By: Robert ivan http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/2009/01/09/media-we-are-seeing-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-print/comment-page-1/#comment-11164 Robert ivan Sat, 10 Jan 2009 02:04:51 +0000 http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/?p=4156#comment-11164 I would say that general interest newspapers are dead, but niche papers retain their value in the internet paradigm. more here: http://metaprinter.com/?p=1419 I would say that general interest newspapers are dead, but niche papers retain their value in the internet paradigm. more here:
http://metaprinter.com/?p=1419

]]> By: Charlie A. Roy http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/2009/01/09/media-we-are-seeing-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-print/comment-page-1/#comment-11162 Charlie A. Roy Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:37:03 +0000 http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/?p=4156#comment-11162 @ Billy I think you are dead on with this. Print media will soon die. I picked up an Amazon Kindle a couple of months ago and receive the NY times directly every morning. It costs a near fraction of the usual subscription. I added the WSJ as well. Would add the PJ Star if they made it available. I always enjoy your posts. @ Billy
I think you are dead on with this. Print media will soon die. I picked up an Amazon Kindle a couple of months ago and receive the NY times directly every morning. It costs a near fraction of the usual subscription. I added the WSJ as well. Would add the PJ Star if they made it available. I always enjoy your posts.

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