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Friday, December 16, 2011

Media How Many Newspapers Will Be Left in Five Years?

Posted by Paul Constant on Fri, Dec 16, 2011 at 3:02 PM

Daily Finance's story about a report from Annenberg Center for the Digital Future sure does paint a bleak future for printed newspapers:

Within five years, the report claimed, only four major daily papers will continue in print form.

According to Jeffrey I. Cole, director of the center, the four survivors will be The New York Times (NYT), The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post (WPO) and USA Today. It's worth noting that two of these papers — the Times and the Journal — already charge for online content. Within the next year, USA Today also plans to start charging, which will leave The Washington Post as the only one of the big four offering its content for free.

That's great! Who needs multiple viewpoints and additional information? Plus, if the Senate gets their way with SOPA, the internet could be useless by then, anyway.

Comments (9) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

the right amount will be left. Just like blacksmiths and lumberjacks.

Posted by Sargon Bighorn on December 16, 2011 at 3:15 PM

are you really going to miss the Blethen's viewpoint?

Posted by Max Solomon on December 16, 2011 at 3:17 PM

Can't stop the signal, Mal.

Posted by Marq on December 16, 2011 at 3:31 PM

How many?

As many as we print.

Look, it all goes back to one thing - ad revenue.

But the online version of WaPo for the iPad doesn't permit comments (amusingly, the Twitter apps allow you to comment on WaPo articles, while their own app doesn't).

Posted by Will in Seattle

on December 16, 2011 at 3:40 PM

Uh, so, the Stranger newspaper going out of business has been predicted. Time for you to look around the office, think about how many people the PI let go, and plan on repurposing your marketable skills.
Will you just start a shill station like Publicola, or "consult" and take all that dirty Super PAC money?
Maybe make sandwiches.

Lots of choices, and some time to plan.

Good luck Strangers.

Posted by MrBaker

on December 16, 2011 at 4:23 PM

@5 I see lots of paid ads in the print edition of The Stranger.

So long as that continues, no reason why the print edition shouldn't happen. Just don't cut the comix.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on December 16, 2011 at 4:50 PM

Physical print media is dead.

And good riddance. If I could deliver the coup de gras myself, I would.

Posted by sonder on December 16, 2011 at 6:19 PM

This will be a self-fulfilling prophesy. The Bellingham Herald is 24 pages or less, Mon - Sat, of which about 1/3 of the editorial content is high-school sports and another third is slavish teabagger coverage. And they have the balls to charge 75 cents for it!

Of course, the Seattle Times isn't much better. And the Denver Post just cut loose everybody who made that paper worth reading... even their editorial cartoonist.

It's mission accomplished for the Right, who can't stand the thought of an informed electorate...

Posted by orino

on December 16, 2011 at 6:34 PM

You only have to pay for the NYT if you don't know the laughably simple workaround, which can be found with one quick Google search. Saying that they charge for content is a joke.

Posted by I have always been... east coaster on December 16, 2011 at 10:35 PM