Bottom out over the Bottom-line? Tsk, tsk

Newspaper publishers a dying breed?

General Walker may have been seen as an alarmist, but he was prophetic nonetheless. Numbers stories can be a bit boring if presented as research papers, and they are difficult to report. They require more research resources, and are usually reported by reporters who cost top dollar. For newspapers, and other print news sources, compromising quality due to cost is a very real and immediate concern.

However, according to Kovach and Rosenstiel, "The primary purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and self-governing," (p 17, 2001), not necessarily entertaining or fun. Additionally, they list nine elements of journalism, the first being journalism's obligation to the truth, the second is its loyalty to citizens. Today many newspapers' first loyalty seems to be to advertisers. (Currently Baltimore's only daily paper, The Baltimore Sun, recently changed its layout to look more like a magazine with full page ads sometimes in two full spreads back-to-back.)

But then again, with a readership turning to free news sources like the internet, and even newspapers promoting free content on their web sites one must ask, "Where are the funds going to come from?" It seems as if newspapers and newspaper publishers are folding on a weekly basis. Baltimore's The Examiner, Colorado's oldest newspaper, Rocky Mountain News, have both permanently stopped the presses recently. Even some entertainment print media sources are struggling, like Playboy. Reading the short collection of headlines below from NPR.org makes you think that the world in print media will either be forced to rework its business model or go extinct!

• "Against The Grain" by Dick Meyer: "Literary Death Spiral? The Fading Book Section." March 1, 2009. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100828803
• "San Francisco May Lose Its Main Paper " by David Folkenflik. March 1, 2009. "The owner of the San Francisco Chronicle says if it can't reduce expenses dramatically soon, it will close or sell the newspaper. Hearst Corp. has made it clear that the cost-cutting will require a significant number of layoffs at Northern California's largest newspaper." http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101133208
• "Philadelphia Newspaper Inc. Files For Chapter 11"by Joel Rose. March 1, 2009 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101024311
• "As Business Falls Off, Playboy Looks For Buyers" by Yuki Noguchi. March 1, 2009 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100906383
• "Final Edition For 'Rocky Mountain News'" February 27, 2009
  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101248356
  

However, from what I've read or seen so far, there are two business models that may work for print news sources looking to maintain a sustainable bottom-line without risking the quality or reputation of their product--the news. One is Time Magazine, which has switched its weekly print focus to news analysis instead of breaking news stories.

Another would be to take a trip in a time machine to a time when local newspapers' major focus was on local news. I would imagine that sticking to local news and sources would be less costly in the long run and require the news organization to rebuild intimate relationships with its consumers, sources, and local businesses. Commenting on an NPR news story about the folding of Rocky Mountain News, Dale Hobson, web manager for NCPR 89.5FM in Canton, N.Y., ponders this:

Wile newspaper revenue is badly down, I wonder how many of these papers would be in fatal trouble absent the huge debt load many carry from being sold back and forth to media giants who leveraged their value into the stratosphere in the course of scaling up. Had they remained small, focused independent companies, the economic downturn would still have caused widespread layoffs, but would it have caused the impending "extinction-level event" we seem to be moving toward? Friday, February 27, 2009 1:24:27 PM, "Final Edition for 'Rocky Mountain News'"

What changes have you guys seen, regarding the closure or expansion of print news in your metropolitan areas?

Reference:
Kovach, Bill and Tom Rosensteil. The Elements of Journalism: What newspeople show know and the public should expect. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2001.