The problem is that digital has worked fairly well for the WSJ, NY Times and Washington Post -- at least as far as generating subscriptions goes -- but not well at all for regional or local papers. And advertising remains a problem, as advertisers continue to pay much less for online advertising than they do for print -- even when they've largely abandoned print. The assumption in print media was always that advertisers would be willing to pay the same or more when their ads migrated online, but that hasn't happened at all.
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GateHouse Media poised to buy Gannett
- Thread starter Y2kTheNewOldies
- Start date
The problem is that digital has worked fairly well for the WSJ, NY Times and Washington Post -- at least as far as generating subscriptions goes -- but not well at all for regional or local papers. And advertising remains a problem, as advertisers continue to pay much less for online advertising than they do for print -- even when they've largely abandoned print. The assumption in print media was always that advertisers would be willing to pay the same or more when their ads migrated online, but that hasn't happened at all.
Their hope is they can use USA Today as a national template similar to the other national papers, and attach the local coverage to that template.
Of course they're going digital. They have to. Those of us who grew up buying stacks of dead tree
with ink on it are a dying breed. It will bring a very substantial cost reduction as well.
The art of sucking the last few drops of blood from a dying carcass is a skill they teach in MBA programs.
Their current usa today digital version sucks. I tried it last month thinking it would be the print version of the paper just digital on the tablet i was completely wrong it was like an all digital version of the paper and i threatened usatoday/amazon store to refund or they would be getting a very impolite phone call.
https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/238238/as-gannett-gatehouse-merge-cost-cutting-persists/
Cuts are coming to Gatehouse.
Cuts are coming to Gatehouse.
There will be a bloodletting at the former Gannett properties once Gatehouse takes over. A lot of it will be the result of management/editorial staffs just not minding the store. Print media is incredibly important as they are the ones who generally investigate corruption issues at a depth that generally brings things to light and often forces accountability. There really isn't another medium that can fill this gap.
https://nypost.com/2019/08/29/gannett-may-be-angling-to-buy-daily-news-parent-tribune-publishing/
Now Gannet is rumored to be in talks to get Tribune Publishing the owners of the Chicago Tribune,
Now Gannet is rumored to be in talks to get Tribune Publishing the owners of the Chicago Tribune,
That story appears to be dated now that the Gatehouse deal went through last week.
https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/241432/gatehouse-gannett-merger-complete/
Update on the Gannett Gatehouse deal
Update on the Gannett Gatehouse deal
And gave everyone buy-outs.
Unfortunately, the courts have blocked the ability of radio and TV to be co-owned with newspapers. I believe that the synergy and cost savings of such an arrangement could save many newspapers and preserve the local news voices in many markets.
And we have current presidential race candidates who have "no way, any way" planks in their platforms in regard to newspaper / electronic media combinations. The most frightening to people like myself who see print and electronic alliances as a saving force for local news is the policy of Senator Bernie Sanders who see such combos as detrimental and dangerous.
In a time when more people get their news from Facebook than from local TV, such policies, although seemingly anti-concentration in "feel", are dangerous.
Instead, we will get investment bankers who see the liquidation value of some newspapers (real estate, etc) to be higher than the gain on continued operations.
Unless there is a way for local media to combine resources, including newsrooms and management, we will end up with no real local media in the traditional sense. We will have situations such as McClatchy suspending Saturday editions, and papers in markets like New Orleans and Cleveland going to alternate day or other non-daily publishing... and thus becoming nothing more than glorified shoppers.
At the same time, some of those same people would like to "break up" Facebook. Ignoring the fact that Facebook itself doesn't create content, but is simply a common platform for user generated content. There might be a way to convert traditional media into such a model, but ownership rules would prevent it from happening.
An excellent point, David. Hopefully, in this regard, we'll see common sense changes like the recently proposed repeal of the regulation prohibiting studios from owning movie theaters. Like the limits on TV stations owning newspapers and vice versa, the rationale for that regulation has ceased to be valid. I doubt the repeal would lead to any wholesale acquisition of newspapers, as the economics are dismal, but it would help some print publications remain in business as the news gathering elements could be combined for efficiency and cross marketing opportunities would exist.
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