The Decline of the Daily Newspaper and Beyond

I have followed closely the recent news stories (Time magazine, Public Radio) that have chronicled the decline of the daily newspaper. The end of publication of the Rocky Mountain News and the near bankruptcy of papers like the Chicago Tribune and LA Times (to name a few) are real-world examples of that decline. From a business sense, many newspapers just can't generate enough revenue dollars from subscriptions and advertising to meet their increasing costs of doing business. People are finding that they can control when and what news they want to read through other media like TV or the web.

I must admit that I've contributed to this decline. My daily routine in the morning does not include looking at the daily newspaper, but checking news on line. I check the online versions of the Des Moines Register, CNN, The Daily Beast, and Slate Magazine. I regularly check online versions of Newsweek and The Economist. When I'm home, CNN Headlines News is often on. I listen to NPR when I'm driving. We do still take a Sunday paper, but I seldom spend a leisurely morning with it. That may speak to the quality of the our local Dubuque paper or the simple fact that many times I've read some of the articles on-line earlier in the week.

Whereas the newspaper can still be one source for information on home sales and job advertising, I know that I tell my student teachers that they need to use on-line resources in their job search much more than the newspaper listings. And our realtor tells us more people use on-line resources when looking for a home than the local paper. People are realizing that there are more efficient ways to get their news and information than a daily newspaper

There may be a sentimental desire to see daily newspapers remain; the reality is that they are going to morph into something completely different than what Don and I use to deliver in Galesburg. The decline of newspapers is just another indication of the change in the way we live our lives. We may lament these changes, but there is little we can do about it.

It makes me wonder what other changes are coming? We know that record companies are struggling to understand how (and if) their old business model fits the new digital age. Television networks are adjusting to the fact that you can watch almost any show, any time you desire either through you DVR or on a web site like Hulu. Can the US Post Office continue to offer 6 day a week delivery? Or even to have a post office in almost every community in America? How many people actually write checks anymore?

It's a brave new world we're living in.

I welcome your comments.