Have you read the print version of a newspaper recently?
Personally, I rarely read the print version. I usually read the online versions.
However, I do still read the print version of Les Affaires – a specialized newspaper that I can also consult online – so I can support them for as long as they maintain a print version.
I should say that a few months ago, we made the front page of this newspaper for one of our clients, and in full colour too! The print version had a very powerful impact. We should make the most of these printed newspapers because I think one day online versions will be our only option.
We also still receive an English-language newspaper, The Gazette, at the office. I browse this newspaper’s headlines to see if the English-speaking community in Quebec is interested in the same issues as the French-speaking community. I must admit I enjoy flipping through the pages of printed newspapers. Although I appreciate how easy and accessible online newspapers are, as well as how they help the environment, the content doesn’t stick in my mind in the same way. There’s something almost architectural about print versions, because I can remember the page and location of the article I read. This more “spatial” aspect disappears completely when I read an article on a computer or tablet. There’s no point trying to remember where I read something, or which issue it was in. My brain doesn’t consume information in the same way. However, it’s true that I look at many more newspapers than I did before. The quantity of information that is accessible to us has exploded in recent years. Between online media and social media, often I don’t know where I saw a certain piece of information.
So, why are newspapers in any form still important?
Although we are bombarded with information 24 hours a day, newspapers continue to provide information through in-depth reports written by independent journalists. I still read newspapers for the relevant information I find in them:
– detailed investigations
– stories that reflect our world or our community
– a country or region’s culture
– spotlights on the issues affecting our world and our environment
– how the public feels about certain issues
– current trends and opinions
– freedom of expression
A difficult time for newspapers
Although most major daily newspapers shifted to digital format several years ago, finding a balance in terms of revenue remains difficult. This is what the former Vice-President of the Wall Street Journal and New York Times had to say:
“Even in the smallest markets, Facebook and Google syphon three-quarters of the digital revenue,” said Penelope Abernathy, a former Wall Street Journal and New York Times vice-president who now teaches media economics at the University of North Carolina. “That leaves all other legacy media fighting for the digital scraps.”
The major dailies are holding up well – The New York Times saw its digital revenue exceed its print revenue for the first time during the pandemic.
To survive, smaller publications are likely to become rarer and more expensive, and will continue to target niche audiences.
“Print will survive in some form,”said Abernathy, comparing newspapers to books, which have survived the digital transition.
There’s a future for subscriptions to the major newspapers a few days a week. “The era of the print daily will be remembered fondly. The whole notion was capturing the history of the last 24 hours,”Abernathy concluded.
Source: La Tribu
I hope you enjoyed this episode, and that this PR/marketing moment stimulates your creativity.