Re: Newspapers are doomed?

From: Jennifer Greenfield <jgreenfi_at_aapt.org>
Date: Thu 28 Sep 2000 15:40:24 -0500

MICHAEL WARREN <MikeW10071_at_aol.com> WROTE:
> Bottom Line: Local newspapers have much to fear from
> the Internet. I would not want to be a newspaper
> publisher right now.

I think the only newspaper publishers who have much to
fear are those who are not willing to adjust with the
times. While I know that I will never forswear printed
newspapers and magazines, the next generation to enter
the job market probably will not have that same
nostalgia for cracking open a newspaper every morning.
And yet, I find that newspapers are even now making the
transition to digital delivery quite gracefully.

I AGREE WITH MONICA WRIGHT <mwright_at_mainetoday.com>, WHO WROTE:
> Fortunately, newspapers are not a dying breed,
> they are evolving and keeping with everything the
> Internet has to offer, especially as a resource for
> content. The success of a newspaper/newspaper online
> relationship is sharing content, and to be able to
> integrate stories on and offline.

Those newspapers that will remain successful on- and
offline are those who have already begun to integrate
their delivery of news and advertising. A case in
point is the _Washington Post_, which has created an
online portal site that does everything from delivering
up-to-the-minute news and weather to offering free
email service, customized start pages and news-related
chats. Kids now are trained to be more comfortable
reading on the screen, and their first instinct is to
find information online, not in a book. Newspapers
like the _Washington Post_ that have established an
online presence will still function as the first point
of reference for this generation--even if future
generations think of a computer screen first when they
hear the word "news."

I believe that publishers--and advertisers--need to be
sensitive to essentially three audiences: one whose
synapses were formed in a pre-digital age, one that has
participated actively in the transition to digital
delievery of news and information, and one who
instinctively looks to the screen--be it TV, hand-held
or desktop-- first. Those publications which recognize
that an online presence is an essential companion to
the printed word will succeed in this transitional
period. Those publishers who allow a competitor to
establish itself as the digital alternative will watch
their success dwindle as their readers age.

Just my thoughts....
--Jennifer

Jennifer C. Greenfield
Publications Manager/Advertising Coordinator, AAPT
301-209-3322
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Received on Thu Sep 28 2000 - 15:40:24 CDT