Will Online Based News Kill the Newspaper Soon?
First of all, there will always be a place for the big city tabloids out there. They are cheap, easy to read, and sleazy enough to appeal to a wide range of customers.
But what about high-end newspapers like the Washington Post and New York Times? The cost of printing a newspaper, while ostensibly low, requires not only resources (ink, paper, etc.) but electricity, labor, and gasoline. Silicon Alley Insider suggests it would be cheaper to send every long-term subscriber an Amazon Kindle than to print and deliver papers.
With the breadth of information out there that is the Web, would you consider paying a subscription for an online news source? For me personally, despite some of its flaws, the New York Times is the most professional newspaper in the world. While there is some bias on its editorial page (which I often agree with), the lion’s share of their reporters are hardworking, deeply thoughtful people that bring out the stories that need to be told, day after day.
So I may consider paying a yearly subscription for it. In fact, when they introduced their Times Select model that kept many stories from appearing on the web, I did subscribe.
But will others? Why not do a little homework and find a mishmash of free sources and plug them into Google Reader? Will one day all journalism be sort of freelance, each having their own blog and doing thing their own way?
While this sounds nice, how will they attain the resources to go on worldwide trips, following the stories that while not commercially viable, are important? What blogger is going to have the resources to cover the Iraq War completely? Or Darfur?
I think the New York Times should start a television network. That would be another source of income and they could use the video online to establish even more of a presence. Journalists are just going to have to get used to be on television. Running a TV network can be expensive also, but the brand will attract high end advertisers and the talent is already on the payroll.
It’s hard to see the Times surviving as is with circulation falling. Sadly, the Times is probably a lot safer than many other nationwide local papers. Heck, I’m a news junkie and I don’t subscribe to a paper, and know very few people my age that do.
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