The ongoing slide into the black hole

Something like this is one of the things I've thought for a long time that newspapers should do. And as I've said previously on another thread, papers all need to do it at once, in a one-time collective show of unity, teamwork and force that will, hopefully, make people quit -- cold turkey -- with their expectation that they'll be able to find what they're looking for someplace else if the paper they're looking at happens to be charging.

People don't really expect to get something for free. They know it just doesn't happen...except in newspapers, of course.

But they're just taking/accepting it because...well, because newspapers are allowing it.

 

They got it back-asswards from the start, turning the paper into a promotional vehicle for the Web site instead of the other way around. And now they're accelerating that by having us all work "for the Web site" rather than "the paper." We give freeloading surfers more stuff in timelier fashion, for no money, than we give subscribers in print.

Hard to turn back the toothpaste or whatever, but even breaking news should have some limitations on the Web site, to prompt readership of the analysis, commentary and sidebar coverage in the morning paper.

Then we have to accept that there are some people who never will opt for that and will settle for three paragraphs as their social, political and cultural depth.

 

Well, you might be right about that last point, Joe. I was going to also say that I think I'd put up less than three inches -- maybe two inches, or the first two paragraphs, or something, so that they can't just settle for that if they really want the story.

But regardless, the gist of this is so obvious, and so necessary -- whether we do anything else, or not -- that I just can't understand why the newspapers of this country can't, and don't, get this, and can't collect themselves and get this done, together, as it needs to be done.

This is something the APSE, SPJ and every other regional and national newspaper organization should be pushing, planning and helping to organize, as soon as possible.

 

I'd give them two grafs. Buy the paper or buy an online subscription if you really want to read.

I came into the business just as papers started moving to the Web, and from the start I was bewildered as to how we were going to continue selling papers when we post it online before it hits the streets.

 

[blue]But that would mean the beancounters would have to accept lower profit margins, at least initially. Keeping the short-term profit margins up looks better to the beancounters and the company's investors (or, if its traded publically, shareholders). And the longer-term consequences of having an inferior product....well, that's a problem for another day.[/blue]

 

It's all about this quarter. To hell with the future, because there is none.

It's sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

It truly amazes me that we can figure this out on here and the people being paid the "big money" are still aloof to this! And THAT my friends is why the newspaper industry is dying. Not because people don't want the information!

 

More people are reading our stuff than ever, and we're going out of business.

 

Never thought of it that way. How depressing.

 

Without using the "quote" function, I wanted to address the whole "all papers should turn to charging for internet content together, at once."

Shouldn't this be easy? I mean, there are hundreds of papers in each chain, and there are a few chains that own the majority of newspapers.

If one, mine for example, just said "okay, all content is pay per view across the chain" if would affect dailies, two- and three-times weeklies, weeklies, magazines, et. all.

I can't see readers of weeklies being able to find news on "their team" or "their town" on google, yahoo!, msn, etc.

Sometimes the only place to get news on Podunk council happenings is from the Podunk News.

 

I think MANY of us have thought about that attrition. Of course the Baby Boomers are just starting to hit retirement, plenty-of-time-to-read-newspapers age.

When the Baby Boomers are gone.... don't want to think of that.

 

well put

now excuse me while i apply for a job at Kohl's