“We will stop printing the New York Times sometime in the future,” these were the words
of Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., Chairman of The New York Times at the 2010 International
Newsroom Summit in London. His words highlight an important fact about print media that we can’t ignore. Print media industry is going through a significant
shift in this decade. And, Newspaper which is a major player is print media industry is facing challenges due to this wind of change. In 2014, annual aggregate revenue of U.S. newspaper
publishers has declined to 29.56 billion U.S. dollars which was 49.4 billion
U.S. dollars in 2006.
If we dissect
the revenue based on media type, then it gets clear that the contribution of
print newspaper in the revenue bar is squeezing and online newspaper is soaring.
The
advertisement revenue of print media is also in declining trend.
Figure
03: U.S. Newspaper Advertising Revenue
This change is happening because of the interest mismatch of printed newspaper with today's world. In this
article, I tried to list some reasons why I prefer reading news online rather in printed newspaper. And, I think many people can relate to these reasons.
1 vs ’00
In
printed one, I am getting news from 1 source and absolutely, it can’t contain all
the events happening around me. Moreover, the way a newspaper describes an
event may differ from another’s in significant way. By online, I have access to
hundreds of newspaper and I can gain details information about an event from
different perspectives. I can understand in what section a newspaper is good at
and keep the bookmarks and then, only follow my preferred sections from different
newspaper by just clicking.
Real-time News
If an
event occurs today, in print media style, I need to wait till tomorrow morning
to get the details of that event. But, now, I can read about the event in real-time
by accessing the online news portal. Why should I wait a day if I can get the
same today?
Cost
Efficiency
In
Bangladesh, monthly subscription for a reputed newspaper would cost me minimum Tk.
300. But, with this amount, I can buy a 1 month internet data pack and read hundreds
of national and international dailies.
1 vs
2 ways Communication
In print
media, I am just passively receiving the news. But, in online, I can express my
opinion and interact with other regarding particular news which gives me a
better understanding and more insight about that.
Going Green
It is a psychological
reason. I feel like I am harming the environment by reading the printed
newspaper. Ultimately, the paper in my hand can be traced by to a tree. But,
online doesn’t give me such feeling.
Easy
Sharing
If I want
to inform other person about particular news, in case of printed one, I would cut the news out from paper and mail to the person or, scan and email. Or,
I can call him and say, hey! Check out this news in that newspaper and then,
probably, he would buy that newspaper if that is not out of stock and read.
But, now, I just share the news link with thousands of people.
Convenient
I find it
difficult to manage the 6, 12, or 24 pages newspaper and folding is a tough job
for me. I rarely did it right. In some places and situations, if I expressly carry
a 749 mm by 597 mm newspaper and then read it, people look at me differently and
I don’t enjoy that. I also don’t enjoy the situations when people say can I
borrow a page? Or, just join to read a page with me and I’ve to wait for turning
the page even when I am finished with reading the page. And, sometimes, it’s
also difficult to read the entertainment section in public ;). I don’t have to
face these online.
Easy
Search
If I want
to know whether any news has been published regarding a topic in a newspaper, I
just visit the website and write the key words in search bar and then, press
the “Enter” button. And, I get a list of all the news related to those words. For
printed one, I would need to check all pages column by column.
Easy
Historical Search
What happened
on 2010 in this date? In printed way, I need to have a stack of more than 2000
newspaper to know this or, I have to go to the national archive. But, why I
will take this hassle when I just need to set the date in an online news
portal and search.
Storage
Difficulty
Practically,
it is not possible for me to store the printed newspaper for a long time with
the possibility that I may need it to pick particular news in future. I have internet
connection and a Smartphone. Why bother about storing newspaper?
Future is
in online. Whether the print media accepts it or, not, the change is happening.
And, I know, there are thousands like me who have at least one of the above reasons
for choosing online over printed one. Wide acceptance of internet and availability
of low cost internet device will induce more people in coming days to shift to
online. Print media firms can’t resist the change. But, there are opportunities for growth if
they can embrace this change. How can they embrace? It can be done by building a
strong online presence. Making their online presence more bold, convenient and interactive.
If they can’t do it now, then, tomorrow, they may be left alone in the island.
Don’t blame Charles Babbage and Tim Berners-Lee then. Don’t know Tim
Berners-Lee??? Type the name in Google search bar and press enter.
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