The American Society of Newspaper Editors has cancelled its annual conference. They join Magazine Publishers of America, and the World Association of Newspapers cancelling conferences this year.
Charlotte Hall, president of ASNE said: “The industry is in crisis. This is a time when editors need to be in their own news rooms doing everything they can.”
While newspaper publishers and others in Australia will say that we do not face the challenges they face in the US and Europe, I think they are wrong. Our local economic circumstances are different (maybe just delayed) but we cannot hide from the impact of disruption caused by technological change. Content will be more accessible and more content will be free.
Now is the time for us to focus our attention on our future. It may be that spending too much time on challenged products such as newspapers could be an inappropriate focus of our resources – not for all newsagents but for some. We are over-satisfied with distribution newsagents and consolidation will gain pace. In retail, we see ourselves as the dominant specialists whereas I suspect that publishers project our influence in retail will dilute in coming years.
We have to ask whether we have the courage (individually and as a channel) to reduce our investment in non-growth activities such a newspaper distribution and retail and direct that reduced investment to new fields of revenue.
Many newsagents are doing this already. Many others are undertaking shop fits and other changes as if operating twenty years ago with specially built (expensive) newspaper stands in their shops.
Newsagent meetings and conferences need to consider these things. We need robust debate to help us work out what we, collectively and individually, need to do.
No wonder newsagents are in trouble. You are all bickering about Intralot and the contracts you freely signed and ignoring this far more important artcile about the future of newspapers. What is it they say about rome burining?
Hey John
granted we are bickering bout intralot cause it has dented our bottom line and bickering bout the lack of professionalism that we expected of a world wide company to sell their product to our customers.
bout newspapers decline well caused by a few factor’s not all under our control
i) wrong business model used for the both hard copy newspaper and internet(it’s a world wide disaster cause noboby want’s to pay to read online but company still pays for the operational costs of the site) so this is a financial hangover /headache which leads to cutting corner’s
ii) senior management making wrong decisions re: contents of newspaper
(we all do in business but their’s ,well, affects most us in this industry and shareholder’s and their workers) .
iii) current economic climate
iv) MOST IMPORTANTLY the consumer doesn’t want to buy the product because the product is not appealling for purchase
i know i missed out on a few other reason but running a business aint easy big or small
cheers
John, Newsagents are certainly missing the more important changes going on around them. What is happening with US newspapers is very important to us here.