Print Media and the Internet

I should preface this by saying I have done zero research on this subject and am operating solely on hunch. Feel free to judge harshly and criticize openly if there are any holes to be found in my logic. And excuse the somewhat poor writing of the piece. It was largely stream-of-consciousness.

The print media industry is nearing a crossroads. Newspapers and magazines are becoming obsolete in the face of the Internet (I’m sure some would argue they are already obsolete). There’s a pretty simple crux to the issue: why pay for information that you can get for free online? With growing numbers of people using the Internet as their main source of information (not to mention the number of 24 hour news channels on TV), there isn’t the need to subscribe to anything. By the time a magazine or the newspaper gets to you, the news is practically ancient history.

As a result, many in the industry are losing their jobs. Articles are being pulled from wire services and some more “frivolous” areas are being covered by fewer everyday, like film critics. Part of this issue won’t be solved easily. Those who cover news are safer than those who traffic in opinion. The Internet is, after all, the place where anyone can espouse his or her mind candy.

Here is what my (possibly not-so) educated guess as to what will happen. People will continue losing jobs until a few things happen. The powers-that-be must forego tradition and accept that print media is dying. Of course, not everyone has access to the Internet on a regular basis, but this too shall change. It won’t be economically viable to continue printing for a continually smaller volume of people. One mustn’t be afraid to step on a few toes to stay afloat (is that a mixed metaphor?) Lots of money will be saved on supplies, utilities, and all the other jazz that I’m not entirely familiar with all that goes on in a printing factory.

The Internet can no longer be free. Already, many sites are subscription based (and not just pornographic sites). Subscribers to magazines will have no issue paying for it online. In fact, being online only allows for daily updates and interactive content unavailable in magazine or newspaper form. And there will be no need for the typical pre-issue crunch times to get everything together.

The big issue is all of the successful non-subscription sites out there. They make most of their money off of ads. With the big names in publishing finally embracing the Internet, the question that remains is will advertising revenue be enough for these sites to compete? Especially if they continue to grow. It may not even matter in the end. Free papers and subscription-based papers have co-existed before. Part of the price of subscribing to something is to have access to great writers.

Anyway, once the transition is made, I believe that the former print media will find they have extra cash lying around and be able to hire back people who have been let go or hire people to fill those positions. People want to read well-written, thoughtful pieces. The shakeups in the industry are due to the transition (I guess I can’t write-off the economy, either). There will be an upsurge in the near future. It’s not the content people don’t want, it’s the vessel carrying it.