Comments on: Why newspapers are likely to die as we know them

By: Hilarious skewering of news industry bloggers « Virtualjournalist

Hilarious skewering of news industry bloggers « Virtualjournalist — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 01:31:29 +0000

[...] the problem more dramatically than the next guy. If Steve Outing says newspapers have a “death spiral” and Clay Shirky predicts “a bloodbath,” the point goes to [...]

By: What a change-sensitive company looks like | Sensible Marketing Services

What a change-sensitive company looks like | Sensible Marketing Services — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:36:40 +0000

[...] another gem sent to me by my new e-mail buddy, retired management consultant Frank Pecarich. (Here’s my earlier blog item featuring his graphical representation of change-resistant industries like U.S. automakers and [...]

By: Something did come out of the API summit. Do you see it? « Jason Kristufek’s We Media blog

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:24:50 +0000

[...] November 14, 2008 by wemediaguru By now we all know that on Thursday 50 CEO-level executives met in a room in Reston, Va., to figure out ways to respond to the crisis within the media industry by talking about new business models. It was billed as a closed-door, invitation only meeting. You can read thoughts on that which I tend to agree with here, here, here, here, here and here. [...]

By: Does the Delivery Method Matter? « UMassJournalismprofs Weblog

Does the Delivery Method Matter? « UMassJournalismprofs Weblog — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:01:47 +0000

[...] Check out Len Downie’s discussion of online standards and Steve Outing’s analysis on the death of newspapers. [...]

By: Morning Links: November 13, 2008 » Nieman Journalism Lab » Pushing to the Future of Journalism

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:27:32 +0000

[...] Steve Outing writes about why newspaper companies are likely to die. The nut: Newspapers are classic “change-resistant organizations,” just like GM. And we [...]

By: Cambiar o morir « Inter.dot

Cambiar o morir « Inter.dot — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:24:54 +0000

[...] Steve Outing comparte un mail que recibió de un consultor retirado sobre el futuro de la industria de los periódicos: [...]

By: Lisa Thompson

Lisa Thompson — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:38:58 +0000

I quit the newspaper biz in 1993 because I could see the handwriting on the wall. Or should I say the ink running out? The papers that have survived have transformed themselves into successful Web sites or, like the local Tampa Tribune, combined forces with TV staff. Newspaper execs do not get it, Tom, that is true. The Internet is free and subscriptions don’t pay for the papers, advertising does. They should be free if they hope to survive.

What I sometimes wonder is, if the Web vanished tomorrow, what would we rely upon for permanent records of history? Newspapers, of course. Without these valuable pieces of paper, I could not reconstruct history to write my project, a biography of a woman who had five different kinds of cancer.

Newspapers still serve an important purpose, allowing more in-depth reporting. It’s too bad that the commercial side took over and destroyed that.

By: Notes from a Teacher - Tuesday squibs

Notes from a Teacher - Tuesday squibs — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 01:35:51 +0000

[...] Why newspapers are likely to die as we know them. Steve Outing passes along some thoughts on the problems with newspaper management and the inability to properly respond to change that he (and I and his commenters) find hard to disagree with. Related: Absent Buyers, New Britain, Bristol Papers To Close. [...]

By: Tom Regan

Tom Regan — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:42:14 +0000

Steve, you and I have been doing this for a long time. I’ve heard people ask this question again and again: Is there still time for newspapers to “get it”? I’ve finally decided the answer is no, they will not get it. Period. It ain’t gonna happen.

The only way newspapers will survive will be the Metro model. Give it away for free.

Cheers

Tom

By: Brian Hayashi

Brian Hayashi — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:33:44 +0000

Thanks for sharing, Steve.

It’s been my experience that newspaper executives became used to dealing with emerging competitors that were easy to understand (i.e., radio, tv, alternative newspapers, etc.). In each case, they came to believe that each new competitor would inevitably gain share, but would also increase the size of the media consumption pie.

Strong recurring cash flow obscured what was really happening and hid poor management decisions.

It wasn’t until Craigslist came onto the scene — and later on, citizen journalism — that managers had an inkling that this threat was going to be different. Imagine Gulliver brought down, not by a single foe, but through the collective actions of millions of activities by individual bloggers and businesses alike.

The daily newspaper occasion – where one could count on finding at least five to seven interesting things in the newspaper sections of one’s own choosing – has been replaced by the ubiquitous Internet, and all of its attendant blogs, marketers, and activities.

I believe there is value in the newspaper newsroom that doesn’t exist anywhere else. I believe there is value in the circulation base of the typical daily newspaper. I believe there is value in the newspaper’s unique DNA — all of the different information products that are brought together and delivered to the doorstep, every day — and the local sales staff that knows how to sell that portfolio of services to local advertisers.

There is clearly a closing window of opportunity to leverage that newsroom into the vague new world of citizen journalism.