An article in The Wall Street Journal today talks of all the free items available on the Internet today -- from music to video games to operating software, to sites like YouTube and Facebook. It discusses how that the standard online business plan until last year was to create a new site, get zillions of hits and lots of buzz, then sell. But that doesn't work today because investors aren't investing.
So the new plan is to actually develop cash flow from your online site, through advertising or paid customers for premium services (while keeping the basics free or other developing models.
It didn't mention online news sources specifically, but it seems to me some of the ideas that were discussed could be transferred to the news world, such as payment for premium services. (I know. The New York Times tried it unsuccessfully with its columnists, but that doesn't mean it couldn't work in a different format. I'm just not sure what.)
Contemplations on the future of journalism
Why Future Gazette?
For 35 years I have worked in the newspaper business. I have been a general assignment reporter, managed an outlying bureau, been a political reporter, city editor, business editor and, most recently, editorial page editor for the mid-sized daily where I've been employed for most of my career.
During my years in the business, the industry has obviously changed tremendously. Now, as I near the end of that career, and as I have begun to teach college classes on journalism, I wonder more and more about the future of the industry.
I've also delved into newspapers of the 19th century as part of some research not directly related to journalism. In the process, I've been interested about some of the changes in the past century and more, but I've been far more amazed at how little basic news coverage has changed.
Young Benjamin Franklin's newspaper was the Pennsylvania Gazette. There is little question that it helped establish the template for what newspapers would look like on this continent -- something different from those of Europe. The Gazette was more cheeky toward authority, more populist and offered more homespun advice than most of what was published across the pond at the time.
So, what is the future of the Gazette in the 21st century? It looks bleak, at least for the ink-on-paper format we've known for the past few centuries. The corporate boards and academics are working hard to figure out what comes next, but I'm not sure the answer will come from them. Perhaps there is a 21st century Ben Franklin -- or thousands of Bens and Bernadettes -- who are already in the process of creating a new journalism form on their own.
That's more exciting than ideas generated at a facilitated meeting with flip charts and consensus ideas.
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About Me
- The old scribe
- As a journalist, I have written news stories or opinion pieces about Colorado's treasures -- our wonderful natural resources -- for more than 30 years. My family and I also take every opportunity we can to enjoy the great outdoors in Colorado.
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