The Sky Is Not Falling

Today is October 31, 2012: I am in the newspaper business. I love the newspaper business and have every intention of staying in the very financially-healthy newspaper business. 

One fine day at Rotary, I was explaining to one of my fellow Rotarians what, exactly, I do for a living.  He is in banking and I found it interesting that he responded to me; “Boy that must be a tough business these days.” (As if the banking business has not had its share of self-inflicted wounds) My response was to aggressively and factually defend our business model. I told him that the sky was not falling and that we, as an industry, have a very bright outlook for the immediate and distant future.

We as an industry are embracing change and adopting new and glitzier ways of delivering relevant information, but we are not in panic mode.  What I find, especially at papers with the same model as ours, is that we still provide considerable value to the local reader and advertiser. Our pages are filled with information that is highly sought after and our Circulation Verification Council  audits factually support that position.  We have aggressively loyal readers and that bodes well for the advertisers that utilize our print and electronic products. Consumers, especially they with money, read, with interest and commitment, our products.

Yes we are in the change mode (as is every business) and, if we continue to operate wisely, we will continue to change positively, incorporate and adopt new and better/faster ways of getting the relevant information to the highly desirable consumers. But we must not forget how we got where we are. Print works and our sky is not falling.