Page 50 - Mega Bridal Issue

One Potential Future for Newspapers
By Rob Weinberg

The future existence of newspapers is in question. • The Wall Street Jour-
Largely due to the internet’s growth, dozens of newspapers are now nal provides access
extinct. to three paragraphs,
Prior to 1970, newspapers, magazines, radio and television were the then charges for the
only serious communications vehicles around. They all had a simple balance of a story.
business model, where networks of paid reporters gathered informa- • The San Diego
tion and advertisers paid to disseminate it (and their marketing mes- Business Journal al-
sage) to the public. lows full access to a
These advertising revenues covered salaries, printing and distribution. story for a week, then
Many publications even charged a nominal fee for their product. charges to retrieve
Then technological developments – first cable TV, then the World archived pieces.
Wide Web - pulled the rug out from under the established order. • LA Times readers
Newspapers created web sites to lure readers from new markets, only get unlimited access
to face increasing demands for free news. Advertisers failed to reap to stories. Advertisers
returns on their newspaper web site-based advertising and sought out are charged because
other options. they reach more online
Even as revenues dwindled, investors in the old technology continued visitors.
demanding the returns their investments had historically provided. My vote as the indus-
Staffs and content were slashed in desperate attempts to keep every- try’s winning model is
one happy. Mainstreet Media.
It didn’t work. Satellite web sites simultaneously cherry-picked news Mainstreet – publishers of nine community newspapers stretching
geared to targeted audiences, selling their own advertising but paying, from Ramona to La Jolla – distributes its free weekly publications to
at most, a nominal fee for their site’s content. roughly 90% of households within their communities.
Lacking significant overhead and infrastructure costs, these smaller As larger media outlets don’t provide substantial grassroots news
sites grew at the expense of the industry’s larger players. coverage, Mainstreet’s created a niche by reporting about its readers,
The old business model – paying for news collection, exclusive mar- then selling ads to reach those same readers.
kets, charging to reach readers – was threatened. Large newspapers They combine the old model – news dissemination and print advertis-
saw revenues dry up, with multiple options (for reader and advertiser ing – with a web site and online ads. Not all stories appear on their
alike) translating to a roughly 90% loss of long-term revenues for print. web site, driving traffic to their print editions. No satellite sites are
50 Markets consolidated as the internet gathered steam. Names like Se- authorized to access their information.
attle Post-Intelligencer, Ann Arbor News, and Rochester Times-Union Since 2006 I’ve written a free marketing advice column for Mainstreet
began disappearing or totally shifting to digital formats. Media. My compensation is exposure and ego gratification, but no
Cities formerly serviced by multiple print editions suddenly found cash. There’s a line of people purporting to be experts in their fields
themselves with one…or none. wanting my space.
So much for our history lesson. Which suggests the newspaper industry’s future relies on publications
Today, cost-cutters at media companies replace talented writers with offering access to specific readers with a tight community focus in a
inexperienced reporters. Despite such efforts, larger newspapers fractured market. Success will rely on free distribution, free content,
remain saddled with overhead that may push them into becoming sub- and few paid employees.
scription services where only the wealthy can follow global events. This isn‘t the kind of message larger print media players want to hear,
The upheaval continues unabated, as we’ve seen with the recent of course, but their current model probably can’t hold out for much
sale (again) of the San Diego Union Tribune. Various models are now longer.
being tested in the marketplace, each hoping to be the industry’s And while it’s a far cry from the industry’s heyday, this may be the only
salvation. way newspapers can actually continue to be with us long-term

Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary

Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary meets for breakfast
every Tuesday 7-8:30am at the Country Club of
Rancho Bernardo, 12280 Greens East Rd. San Diego,
CA 92128 (next to Rancho Bernardo Inn).
The Club is involved in local community and
international projects. For more information call
Karen Mortimer, Membership Chairman at
858-204-2292 or email at Karen.Mortimer@yahoo.com

www.rbsunrise.org