Many of us have read about the sharp decline in newspaper circulation and its underlying causes, mainly that people are getting away from print and getting their information online.  By the way, here are the latest circulation numbers.  Not good.

If most people believe this to be true, then why do the papers continue to cry poverty instead of being proactive in coming up with a solution?

I’m old fashioned and new fashioned (?) at the same time.  I still love holding a newspaper and taking my time pouring over every square inch of print.  I equally enjoy sitting at my computer and exploring all the information our electronic society has to offer.  I will never complain of information overload!

For some reason newspapers feel that their institution is immune to any long term decline and that their long standing methods of operation will right the ship.  That may have worked in the past, but not today.

I believe that newspapers need to make their print editions relevant and worth people’s time, and money, to invest.  Charging for online content of the paper is not the answer.  Newspapers should keep their websites free but not always provide all of their information online.  If you want to read a column by Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe you need to pick-up the paper.  If you want it online you would not have access to it for say, two or three days, or until Ryan posts his next column.  Also none of this, “if you subscribe to the paper you can read it online” stuff.  That’s how articles end up available to all.

The papers also need to maximize their revenue through creative advertising on their websites.  Although we all hate pop-up ads, more and more of them will be in our future.  In conjunction with that, however, many of these papers need to create more “web only” content to entice advertisers to sign up.  They should also use the paper to drive people to the website.  Papers need to think of themselves more as news organizations, with content on multiple platforms.  Some are realizing this.  But not enough.

Newspapers are not yet on the list of endangered species.  Yet they need to smarten up and see that their way of doing business has to change…and soon.