Less circulation means ↑ wood to build coffins
The bodies are piling up. The plague has hit newsrooms everywhere.
No worries. Circulation & the number of inserts is down so we have extra wood for coffins.
Since my time at a small paper in New England, I have seen the departure of a handful of colleagues that in some cases I barely knew. The smell of layoffs is everywhere.
All of us are running stories that are saying, 'Bailout this' and 'bailout that.' We are the band on the Titanic.
Do you know what we have in common w/ the automakers in Detroit? We both created a bad model.
What is the difference? If we lobbied congress and got something out of it, it could be viewed as an industry wide Staples Center debacle. How could we be viewed as impartial?
The only reason we are still around is because Google hasn't written an algorithm to cancel us out. Don't wait for someone to give you the answer or give you some special training. Take matters into your own hands as part of your New Years resolution. Start training yourself.Your job Your livelihood depends on it.
For your entertainment:
God Rest Ye Weary Journalists (Tidings of new media journalism)
And because every article should have them....
Related links:
Newspaper Death Watch
TypePad for Journalists (Formerly the TypePad Journalist Bailout Program)
Tribune Company Seeks Bankruptcy Protection
Roll call III: Say goodbye to more of your friends
My letter to a veteran journalist friend who was laid off
No worries. Circulation & the number of inserts is down so we have extra wood for coffins.
Since my time at a small paper in New England, I have seen the departure of a handful of colleagues that in some cases I barely knew. The smell of layoffs is everywhere.
All of us are running stories that are saying, 'Bailout this' and 'bailout that.' We are the band on the Titanic.
Do you know what we have in common w/ the automakers in Detroit? We both created a bad model.
What is the difference? If we lobbied congress and got something out of it, it could be viewed as an industry wide Staples Center debacle. How could we be viewed as impartial?
The only reason we are still around is because Google hasn't written an algorithm to cancel us out. Don't wait for someone to give you the answer or give you some special training. Take matters into your own hands as part of your New Years resolution. Start training yourself.
For your entertainment:
God Rest Ye Weary Journalists (Tidings of new media journalism)
And because every article should have them....
Related links:
Newspaper Death Watch
TypePad for Journalists (Formerly the TypePad Journalist Bailout Program)
Tribune Company Seeks Bankruptcy Protection
Roll call III: Say goodbye to more of your friends
My letter to a veteran journalist friend who was laid off
Labels: death, industry depression, journalism, new media, Tidings of new media journalism
posted by Jacqueline Kazil at
12/28/2008 12:45:00 PM
3 Comments:
Jacqueline wrote:
[...]
The only reason we are still around is because Google hasn't written an algorithm to cancel us out. ...
Actually the only reason mainstream commercial media(*1) is still around is due to the fact that Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Apple, et al (*2) remains dependent on such media to report in the form of business news what their own PR machines churn out for both public consumption and, even more important to these corporations, those on Wall Street -- since their stock prices are part of their bottom line too of course.
That said, the interest of the two will most likely continue to merge as latter(*2) will either buy up controlling interest in the former(*1) or buy them out entirely.
Do you read Jeff Jarvis's BuzzMachine?
I don't agree with a lot of what he says, but he does put the fear of God into me.
What are your thoughts about integrating social media successfully into reviving the presses?
How about Empowering your best customers?
Joe - Yes I do read BuzzMachine.
I believe that presses will always exist in some form. God help me if they don't, because my fiance is a pressman.
I just don't think they will continue to print newspapers. There will always be some desire for the print product, at least as a novelty. Once the cost of printing & delivery nearly out weighs the profit of print product, companies will decide to stop.
There is risk with "Empowering your best customers." Commitment? Financial loss? I think things like iReport.com are already taking advantage of it, but with the cost falling on the user. The user then thinks they are a part of something bigger.
The intention of the original post was to throw a wake up call to print journalists who are not putting their heart 100% into trying to understand the digital space.
News operations everywhere will continue to get even smaller for 2 reasons.
1. Future of news will rely more on citizen contributions, which means less staff is needed.
2. Staff will be trimmed to those who understand the digital media.
3. Competitive markets will lead to media company closures.
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