Or at least a few of us
By Valerie Milano
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 2/15/10 — Newspapers are being forced to look at how they are going to continue to stay in business, with 2009 seeing a few papers change to an online focus or close down entirely. With the ever-growing and changing internet, Americans have many options for getting the news, forcing the papers to find new, profitable ways to stay in business. One new business model being explored right now would be charging a monthly fee to read the paper online.
A new Harris Poll survey finds that less than 50% of Americans read a daily newspaper, online or in print. 72% of the public read a paper at least once a week and 10% say they never read a newspaper at all.
The decline in readership seems to be associated with the aging of the baby boomers. Those 55 and older still read a newspaper almost daily while the numbers decline as the younger demographics were polled. It seems the end of the era of reading a daily print newspaper.
Depending on what region of the country readers reside, the potential new business model is a way to keep reporting the online news profitable for the newspapers. In the Northeast, the majority of people say they would not be willing to pay to read online content, but other areas of the country are more willing. Although 71% of Westerners say they would not pay, 24% would be willing to pay from $1 to $10 per month.
The struggles of the daily newspaper will continue as Americans have more and more ways to get the news. The challenge is for the newspapers to create new ways to get the news out to the public and still make money doing so. Charging for online content? It appears they need to discover another way.
Hollywood Today fans will be happy to note we are doing well, but only because we have a strong online presence and a lot of goofy college readers. But as the publisher has run a number of both print and online publications, it took years to figure out the formula. Most print papers are rookies when it comes to online publishing, in spite of their edge on promotion.
“They will have to learn that news is free in today’s world. As it should be,” according to HT’s publisher.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Michael Mandala // Feb 16, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Ms. Milano captures the kernal of the issue – print media has to find a new business model. Charging for on-line news is not it.
2 John Prather // Feb 18, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Investors Business Daily you a big discount on their subscription in you take it online. However, it just doesn’t look like a news paper on line. There is a compromise in online news papers because the screen is smaller than a new paper so either the font is too small or you have to scroll around. I even have two screens and it does not read right like a news paper where you can use your peripheral vision to see so much more than on a screen. I guess I am just one of those baby boomers who like papers. But the papers are always a day or more late getting out the news than online.
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