Tonight’s Top Topic: Are Newspapers Dead?
A number of long existing Newspapers have shut down in recent years or changed over to digital only formats. The largest of these include the Rocky Mountain News (founded 1959) which closed and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (founded 1863) which is now exists only as a web-based newspaper. A number of large metropolitan newspapers have also been reported in serious trouble including the Boston Globe, Miami Herald, Chicago Sun-Times and the New York Daily News.
Printed newspapers are having a hard time competing against online news. Online news is generally free, updated more than once a day and can include video and other media. Still, newspapers have historically offered the best examples of investigative journalism. It was Newspapers who first reported major stories such as The attack on Peal Harbo (NY Times) and the people behind Watergate (Washing Post). 42% of the public in a recent survey said they would not miss them if newspapers dissappeared. Many others enjoy there paper newspapers. Still others relie on them for local news or to line their bird cages. Much of the news on the Internet is actually reports from wire news services like the Associated Pressm or Reuters. You will also find much of the news reports on web sites is actually from daily newspapers wuch as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and others. Yet newspaper sales is down while their costs have been increasing. So if some of the daily newspapers go under you will find the quality of news reporting and available will decrease as well. Manylocal newspapers have merged operations which has decreased the amount of local coverage.
Most television news today fills most of its time with personal interest stories, weather, opinions (talking heads), viewer feedback, etc. which have little cost to produce and allows for maximum profits. Newspapers have also descreased the amount of investigative reporting, amount of overall content, eventhe size of the papers all to reduce their expenses. Many local newspapers have chosen to skip publishing certain days.
Besides general news, Newspapers have suffered competition in sports with ESPN & Fox Sports; Weather with the Weather Channel &Weather.com; Help wanted with Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com; Personal interest articles with Fox Charlotte Newsedge.
I have worked with websites since…Well since there has been websites. About ten years ago I attended a Technology trade show and there was a session about the current state of the media and how it affected the Internet. Newspapers at that time did not feel threatened or see websites as competition. Two people there from newspapers said their newspapers mentioned Classified and Help wanted ads as a large profit area but stated the Internet would never be a substitue for newspaper ads. One of those newspapers went from a 32 page section of classifieds to currently three pages. That newspaper instead of hosting job ads on their web site only have a link to Careerbuilder.com.
The issue was like the American Car companies and manufacturers was the attitude that no one can compete and there is no reason to change. Instead of these newspapers embracing the Internet and technology, they ignored it. Many newspapers are looking at the same fate as General Motors & Chrysler (bankruptcy) but without a goverment bailout. I can also tell you that while some newspapers operate their news websites at a profit, they still are making some of the same mistakes as in paper form.
More newspapers will dissapear. But will you notice?
Everyone’s least favorite mother of 14 will have a reality show. But so far it will not be seen in the United States. Eyeworks, the ducth production company in charge of the show has said it has not found an American network to broadcast it. This is the same production company responsible for such classics as Breaking Bonaduce and Scott Baio Is 45 … and Single. The show will not be a cameras following them everywhere but covering events like birthday parties, doctor visits and botox injections for Nadya Suleman.
In other Mother of too many kids news, Nadya expressed how much she is superior as a Mother to Kate Gosselin. Isn’t that like saying cockroaches make better pets than termites?
It lasted only two weeks but there was a website, cayleebears.com that was selling bears. The Caylee Marie Anthony Foundation was originally supplying bears with a t-shirt to police and fire departments. This was to create awareness of child safety. But then the web site came on and was selling a more distasteful version (as seen here) that came delivered in a garbage bag. The web site has just been taken down after many complains and an online petition.
If you knew you left your cell phone someplace, you might consider calling it. Then when someone answers you can sau “Hey, did you find my phone?” That is what Anothony Ramirez did. But he is a suspect in a murder and left his phone at a house he burglarized earlier in the day. While police were investigating they 
heard the phone ring. The officer answered the phone and offeed to meet Ramirez to return the phone. They met but Ramirez escaped not knowing the police were involved. Five days later he was texting someone else who also was a police officer again about meeting to get his phone back. This time they got him. STUPID!