This is a question that these days we are all asking. I personally believe that Print has another 7-10 years before we see major newspapers (USA Today, NY Times, LA Times, etc.) start to crumble.
The definition of crumble at this point is objective. Cut backs, lay offs, paper shrink, etc. can be all used to define crumble. The day we see one of these newspapers completely stop printing and go all on-line is the day when I say it's over for Print.
Wait a minute, we already watched that happen last
week...although the Christian Science Monitor will continue to print the paper once per week, this is a sign that the end is near for Print.
Advertising Age is asking the question, "Will
Print last another 5 years?" There is no doubt that the landscape is changing in the media world but I still have faith in radio and broadcast television. The internet is making us all rethink the way we reach consumers and Print is stuck in a limbo between the internet and the printed paper.
Think about it, in order to keep some revenue they have turned to the internet to publish the news. The best revenue model for them at this point would be to charge you to read their stories online. The only problem is, their competition is not charging you. Therefore in order to stay competitive with page views and unique users they have to give you a reason to come back online. Although the cost to publish news online is far cheaper than the paper, the revenue opportunity is far less compared to the revenue that print has been used to.
Less than an hour after I posted about the death of the newspaper, the Seattle Times Company announced layoffs of more than 100. The Seattle PI is breaking the news and I'm sure the Times will have something to say later in the day. The story is still developing.
