Forum Moderators: martinibuster
For years most of the larger and many of the smaller papers have leaned in one politicial/idealogical direction, effectively alienating about 40% of the population.
Craigslist, eBay, etc. have taken a bite out of the classified section that is a cash cow for newspapers.
But online advertising is further hurting the industry.
Many newspapers are cutting back, making smaller papers, consolidating efforts, etc. I read this week that just 2 years ago the McClatchy chain of newspapers was worth in the neighborhood of $5 billion and now it's around $500 million.
The readers, or former readers, of these papers will be looking elsewhere for news and information. This is an excellent opportunity for AdSense publishers to provide what they are looking for and earn a nice income at the same time.
It will probably take more than articles written by $10 freelance writers, consolidated feeds, etc., but a huge opportunity exists to those who take advantage wisely. Isn't focusing on that opportunity a lot more productive than worrying over stuck stats, "advertisers cutting back", long holiday weekends, etc?
FarmBoy
Read "The Paperless Office" to understand the physical attractiveness of printed media to a human being. Electronic media has many benefits, but there are physical attributes of holding and reading a paper that are unlikely to disappear in our lifetimes.
It isn't just a matter of whether people like paper: Costs are important, too, for both the publisher and the end user.
Mark Choate, a former V.P. at a newspaper publisher who teaches a "Technology of News" course at Georgetown University, has written an article that summarizes the problems facing newspaper publishers and the issue of print vs. online editions. The article-- titled "Is Newspaper Readership in Decline?" [choate.info]--is worth reading.
