Newspaper Implosion

The seeming collapse of newspapers reminds me of the children’s story about the grain of rice, where the heroine asks the mean king to pay her with double the rice she has each day, beginning with one grain of rice. Of course, by the end of thirty days, she has a massive amount. So, too, the newspapers, but in reverse; for years they’ve been in trouble.

Because I took a hiatus from writing during the time I was raising and homeschooling my daughter, I have the Rip Van Winkle experience of returning to the “world” with a frame of reference 15 years old. But even when I was freelancing features 15 years ago, I heard all the same comments, “We can’t hire freelancers—we’re struggling to keep our full time reporters employed” or “We have to cut back on editorial, the ads just aren’t there” or “We can’t figure out how to make money on the internet.” Sound familiar? It’s clear to me that newspapers had plenty of warning, and that a new business model was called for long ago.

I’m positive I don’t have all the answers, but I do have a few ideas.

Freelancers vs. full-time
Here’s one where newspapers, some magazines, and many corporations still haven’t seen the forest for the trees. Maybe publications should consider that what they really need is a tiny core staff and a phalanx of freelancers—just the model that newer and more successful media uses. What they’d get is fresh, diverse style, a plethora of ideas, and a bench of people with their ears to the ground. Freelancers get variety, working conditions that can be tailored to optimum personal performance, and the opportunity to pursue passions and develop expertise.

Business costs
It’s no news by now that the elephant in the room is benefits. Even lean and mean companies are sinking under the weight of health care costs. Serious full-time freelancers are also crushed by the costs of individual healthcare. A change in healthcare policy could make a tremendous difference for individuals, start ups, and any struggling business. But we all know that, don’t we?

Reaching the audience
In their desperate attempt to clutch at readers who have moved to the internet, newspapers have transformed themselves into Life Magazine—full of pictures, little content. In doing so, I believe they’ve lost their core audience: READERS! Myself, I’ve gone from reading two newspapers a day to reading two on Sunday and the Economist the rest of the week. The book The Long Tail ought to be required reading for any publisher. The masses have moved elsewhere for entertainment and information about their interests. Newspapers are going after the wrong market.

It will be interesting to see how marketers of consumer goods are going to reach a mass audience without newspapers. Not only is readership down, but it’s easy to tell from six feet away that so is advertising—newspapers and many magazines are about half as thick as they once were. Add to that the proliferation of cable stations and it begins to seem like we are living in a “long tail” world. We are already seeing the proliferation of ezines, targeted websites, and (ahem) blogs. But I’m going to miss the sense of common conversation, exposure to stuff I didn’t know would interest me, and the pleasure of sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee and the paper. The computer screen just isn’t the same.