Newsweek: Let the Newspapers Die

Newsweek's Techtonic Shifts blog serves up a very interesting read on why we should let the newspaper industry die, equating the ink and print medium to "horse-drawn carriages, or steam engines, or black-and-white TV."

Very interesting read in light of our various discussions about Bill Splashme and T.J. Slimers and the other hacks running the ~~Trojan~~ LA Times.

Hear that Bill? You're going to lose your job. Thanks for playing, but you and the LAT will fail.

over 2 years ago Bellerophon 5 comments 0 recs |

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Pot meet kettle

I don’t disagree with the central point of the article but I think he may have forgotten to mention that the paper and ink used to make magazines is also going the way of the horse and buggy. In fact, Newsweek and the other news rags are heading to the dustpin faster than the rest of the magazines. It’s pretty simple: News on the net is instant. When you get your Time or Newsweek magazine, the news is probably a few days or more old. Pre-internet, it was no big deal. With the net, it’s a brave new world.

But I don’t think Bill will lose his job because he can always write for the online edition of the LAT or whatever, right? I think Slimers is worthless and his schtick is old and unfunny, so I don’t give a rat’s ass about him.

by Barnes2JJ on Oct 1, 2009 8:37 AM PDT reply actions

Online magazines are doing pretty well

Online newspapers, not as much. I don’t see the LA Times surviving online and it will eventually go away. Because magazines don’t have to cover everything, they can just assign people to specific stories ahead of time and not waste funds trying to cover the gamut like newspapers, keeping their costs waaaaaay down. Newspapers have also always been somewhat local and are dependent on local support. Newsweek and other newspapers can bring readers in from across the country and even world.

by Ryan Rosenblatt on Oct 1, 2009 8:50 AM PDT up reply actions

True

Your point is well-taken but I think we are kind of talking apples and oranges. The LAT used to be a world-class paper. If its online edition morphs into something like the NY Times or the Wall Street Journal (online editions) and/or perhaps charges for online readership, I think it has a chance to survive.

My point was that Newsweek—as a paper rag—is a shadow of its old self and has not just a foot, but also both legs, two arms and a torso in the grave. The (print) magazine industry is also being killed by the net, although not as quickly as the (print) newspaper industry.

by Barnes2JJ on Oct 1, 2009 9:12 AM PDT up reply actions

Not just the LAT

Wash Post used to be good now it’s becoming a joke. I think what’s sad are that the people who rune these major papers are still completely clueless about today’s media landscape and how information gets distributed. They are clinging to an old model of news distribution and trying to spruce it up by just adding some bells and whistles on their websites.

It just doesn’t work. How the heck can the LAT except to hold on to half of its consumer base on sports page, when it employed a Trojan alum (and apologist) to “blog” on “What’s Bruin.” The display of tonedeafness from these guys and lack of awareness of what folks are looking for has been breath-taking. We are experiencing the same w the Wash Post (at least in the world of sports) as well.

It’s sad. I still like reading Sunday (or even Sat) papers over morning coffee. However, these guys are still operating as if they are stuck in the 70s. I am ambivalent as to whether these guys should get an “assist” from the government, given they haven’t really made a compelling case in recent years that they are being useful or show an intent of adapting their business model to current media landscape.

by Nestor on Oct 1, 2009 6:53 PM PDT up reply actions

The last newspaper to get an assist from the government was "Pravda."

I can’t imagine any newspaper accepting a subsidy from the government. It would not be possible to keep something like that secret, and once the truth became known, that particular newspaper would lose at least half of its readership – those in the camp of the loyal opposition. It would be like the fishwrap actually admitting that they were being paid off by Inheritance Hall.

I think one flavor of newspaper will survive. The local, limited circulation weekly delivered to everyone for free (paid by advertisers.) There would be some interest in keeping track of the schedule for the Begonia Club and for what day the local elementary school will have its open house.

But big newspapers? Nah, they’re dinosaurs, wondering what those warm blooded creatures are. Look for someone in Congress to try to protect some newspaper as an endangered species.

by Fox 71 on Oct 1, 2009 9:19 PM PDT up reply actions