By Scott Underwood
The Herald Bulletin
—
Much of the world, including many journalists, has misinterpreted the current state of the newspaper business. Yes, print subscribers have declined for most newspapers, including this one.
But the information distributed by newspapers, including this one, is reaching more people than ever before. The Internet and other platforms of communication are not the enemies of local news organizations; they’re powerful tools.
The problem to be solved is how can newspapers make the distribution of news through websites and other modes profitable. At first blush to you, the consumer, this may seem like a nefarious goal. You may be getting news about the Madison County area free from our website now. Why would you want to pay for it?
Well, I suppose that in the long run, if you’re not paying at least a little bit for it, the organization that gathers and distributes the news — The Herald Bulletin — will have fewer and fewer resources to draw on to provide that news to you.
Our news staff today is smaller than it was a decade ago. Hustle as we may to give you the same level of news coverage, the business model simply can’t sustain a daily print product with as many pages as before.
Thankfully, we have all of these new tools to deliver the news to you in more and faster ways. While the print edition is still the favorite mode of accessing local news for the majority of local consumers, other platforms are gaining fast in popularity.
Newspapers have been notoriously stodgy organizations. Vestiges of past print dominance resulted in an institutional arrogance and resistance to change. Those vestiges still linger in newsrooms across the country, including ours.
But we have to change, and changing we are. Within the past year or so, our website has been re-designed and expanded and we’ve begun offering news e-mails and sms messages. And we’re engaging readers through Twitter and Facebook.
Within the next several months, we hope to offer live streaming video (to add to current video, photo galleries and audio slideshows) as well as smart phone and iPad apps and an enhanced online version of our print pages. Some of these features might be free, but some might require a fee.
Newspapers across the industry are changing their areas of emphasis, reorganizing staff and focusing on digital news distribution to match the changing needs and wants of consumers. USA Today, which greatly influenced the direction of the news industry when it was launched 28 years ago, recently announced a staff reorganization. The bad news is that the nationwide publication will lay off 130 employees. The good news is that the staff will be re-geared to focus on the development of digital media to keep up with demand in the marketplace.
At home here in Madison County, we realize that the daily print edition will continue to be the main course of our local news delivery. But we’re determined to develop a buffet of digital products to give you the news when you want it and how you want it.
Editor Scott Underwood’s column appears Mondays. Contact him at scott.underwood@heraldbulletin.com or 640-4845.
