Monday, March 09, 2009

Great News! The 10 American Newspapers That May Stop Killing Trees By The End Of This Year!

Just so you do not think it is a right-wing it job, the following analysis is from Time magazine. And it is not good for 10 newspapers around the United States.
The list of newspapers is as follows:
1) The Boston Globe
2) Chicago Sun-Times
3) The Plain-Dealer (Cleveland)
4) The Detroit News
5) Fort Worth Star-Telegram
6) The Miami Herald
7) Minneapolis Star-Tribune
8) New York Daily News
9) Philadelphia Daily News
10) San Francisco Chronicle
Now, some of these newspapers will not die entirely. In fact, there is a good possibility that many will become online only newspapers. According to the article, that is exactly what is possible for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as well as The Boston Globe, The Plain-Dealer, The Miami Herald, Minneapolis Star-Tribune and San Francisco Chronicle.
Here is some irony for the San Francisco Chronicle. They will be forced to possibly become an online only newspaper and yet the San Francisco Examiner, a free daily, will go on to survive with both a strong online presence and an actual newspaper that people can pick up for free anywhere in the Bay area. The Hearst corporation did a swap, selling the one time flagship Examiner to a local family and bought the Chronicle from the De Young family. And now, they will be left essentially with nothing. Ironic, isn't it?!
Another interesting aspect is where these newspapers are located. Nine of the 10 newspapers are in large cities in so-called Blue States. Only one, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is in a Red State.
Why is that?
Well, there is a case and to some extent legitimate, that advertising revenue is way down. And now there is a full-fledged economic slowdown which is not helping the situation.
But, there has to be an argument that I have been making and will continue to make.
These newspapers are predictably liberal, by and large. The staff and editors almost by and large have allowed their biases to permeate in the news sections. As well as the sports sections. And the way that they cover the culture, well, there is no doubt where these newspapers stand.
Many think I look at this with glee.
But I do not. It is moronic for these publications to have not gotten on and figured out the digital age. Keeping over paid columnists and not realizing how to charge for the online product is another culprit. Another aspect is that many of these large newspapers are over paying blowhard columnists at the expense of actual reporters. Here is the take from The Other McCain, an actual newspaperman himself:

The privileged positions within the newspaper industry enjoyed by op-ed columnists like David Brooks have been rendered obsolete by the rise of the blogosphere. Were there any justice in the world, the New York Times would have axed overpaid opinionators like Brooks and Maureen Dowd rather than eviscerating its news-reporting operation.Good to see that finally someone in the newspaper business gets it.

By the way, it is in response to The Washington Times hiring Richard Mintier as the editorial page editor. I should note that The Washington Times is not going anywhere anytime soon. Nor apparently is the Boston Herald.
Maybe seeing some newspapers go from the dead tree edition to the online edition is the only way to see if there is room for the newspaper industry to survive in this electronic age. But it also appears that they will have to be taken in dragging and screaming.

1 comment:

friedmsw said...

Interesting post!