I’m a newspaper reader. Seems like I always have been. I remember my dad sitting in his easy chair with the evening paper nearly every night. I remember my mom clipping coupons for the Big Bear. And there was a time not so long ago when I read four newspapers every day (WSJ, NY Times, USA, and local). It was how I kept up with the world, and was my “me time” every morning over coffee. And I enjoyed it.
No more. Other than the Sunday NY Times, I no longer subscribe to any daily newspapers. The quality, the depth of news and reporting, and the commentary all began to slip, so one by one I let my subscriptions lapse. I now get my news and read commentary online thru feeds, blogs, tweets, and for my journalism fix: The Times Reader. All for free. I don’t particularly like it; I’d prefer to feel the paper between my fingers, hear the rustle of the paper as I turn the pages, and smudge my hands with newsprint. It was all part of the experience. But the world shifted to immediate gratification, and the newspaper business took much of the quality out of the product, and the people spoke. Myself included.
Earlier today, an online feed published a gruesome chart showing the accelerating decline of print ad sales for newspapers. (LINK:
http://tinyurl.com/q4swsm) There is nothing like a graphic to illustrate a point and this one is incredible. It’s worse than GM’s sales chart, or its recent asset valuation. It’s worse than the double-black diamond ski run I tried at Stowe last year. It is any businesses’ nightmare.
It illustrated that newspaper ad sales have dropped by an unprecedented 28.28% in the first quarter of 2009, equaling a loss of more than $2.6 billion year-over-year. Over the last three years --- comparing 2006 quarterly sales --- it represents a drop of more than $4.5 billion comparing only the quarters. Furthermore, these stats combine the losses in both the digital and the printed sales. BOTH are dropping by unprecedented amounts.
So what, you say. Like GM, newspapers have ignored the march of time and technology, and banked today’s profits without any attention to consumer trends and potential evolving business models. They deserve what they get.
Perhaps. But…where will America’s free press reside? On blogs and Huffington Post? Who will challenge Fox News, The Drudge Report, congress, local slumlords, and nefarious business deals? Who will invest in long term investigations to uncover corruption in local or regional government? And most importantly, what will I read in the morning with my coffee?
A new model needs to emerge. One that values good journalism, and rewards its journeymen. One that provides the context needed to really understand our lives and our world.
I don’t know the answer. But I know that I --- for one --- already miss it. And I’ll lament its loss once it’s gone forever. And I suspect that some of you will, too.
“It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.” --- Steven Wright, comedian