Merging Media and the Market

“If words were invented to conceal thought, newspapers are a great improvement of a bad invention”

                                             Unknown

In recent decades newspapers have been experiencing a decrease in readership.  And it is predicted that newspapers will eventually see their demise because of new media. And this trend is already becomming apparent with the Christian Science Monitor’s shift to an online only existance. The two primary causes of this downward trend among newspaper readers are decreasing circulation rates and the lack of trust the public has in this medium.  Neither of these situations was the sole cause for the decline in newspaper readership: rather it was the combination of the circumstances that these situations are compiled of that accounts for the decrease.  The primary factors that caused a decrease in the circulation of newspapers are the digital age, the inability of newspapers to attract young readers, and the federal do not call law.  Likewise, there were several items that contributed to public’s lack of trust in this medium.  Newspaper scandals along with coverage and staff cuts have led to a credibility gap, which in essence furthered the decrease in newspaper circulation and readership.

The digital age, which entails the rise of cable television news channels, the internet and cell phone alerts have all contributed to the loss of newspaper readers.  The core readers of many newspapers were urban consumers who have now moved into the suburbs making it more difficult for newspapers to be distributed on a daily basis.  Lifestyle and technological changes altered the news business.  The population shift away from urban to suburban America – and the problems that created for home delivery – helped erode the afternoon paper.  As such, cable television programming has been able to reach these consumers more readily and relevantly than newspapers.  The internet, along with e-mail, news websites, and to some newspaper’s own demise, the implementation of free online versions of newspapers, has caused consumers to feel hard copies of newspapers are unnecessary.  These sites might not hurt readership overall, but they can erode a newspaper’s paying audience. Furthermore, advancing technology has allowed consumers to have news updates sent directly to their cell phones.  The immediacy and convenience that the digital age has given consumers in receiving news updates has worn away at what used to be American’s primary source of news: the newspaper. 

When newspapers began to experience a decrease in readership due to increasing technology, many papers began to target more upscale white collar consumers.  However, it was primary the blue collar workers that consumed afternoon newspapers.  As such, many newspapers alienated a major portion of their daily audience and the children of these consumers never developed the newspaper habit.  That shift toward elite audiences dictated where the circulation declines occurred.  By and large, when the afternoon papers that appealed more to working class readers died, those readers stopped reading newspapers.  Since then, these children have matured into young professionals that newspapers are desperately trying to attract.  But despite most efforts, the younger generations are not apt read newspapers on a regular basis because they never learned the habit at home.  As the children of these lost readers become more affluent and influential, can it be assumed that they will just gravitate to a newspaper no matter what?  The average age of a newspaper consumer is over 51.  As these consumers retire, newspapers will eventually lose the vast majority of readers, which is why it is essential that new young readers are gained now.  Because a publisher can’t grow a business in the long-term if it’s not growing its audience.

Another aspect of decreasing circulation that has hindered the solicitation of consumers, both young and old, was the implementations of the federal do not call law.  While advertising revenues make up the vast majority of profits, a newspaper needs a healthy circulation rate to attract these advertisers.  As such, telemarketing was a crucial element in helping newspapers solicit consumers for renewals and new subscriptions.  When the federal do not call law was put into effect newspapers lost the ability to solicit many consumers and circulation rates further decreased. 

What further fueled this decrease in circulation and overall readership of newspapers was a widening credibility gap.  Many consumers see newspapers as one of the least credible sources of news coverage.  People think newspaper journalists are out of touch and unethical. In part, the credibility crisis is a disconnect over motive. Journalists think they are working in the public interest. The public thinks they sensationalize and report articles to make money.   Journalists are also viewed by the American public as more cynical than people in other professions.

While there are many factors that led the American public to this consensus, newspaper scandals and the trimming of staff and coverage fueled it.  This lack of professionalism and sensationalism was highly publicized in several scandals within the newspaper industry.  The most notable example is the scandal in 2003 at The New York Times, particularly the news that the reporter Jayson Blair had engaged in extensive fabrication.  To see such irresponsible reporting tactics in such a highly regarded newspaper furthered the gap between consumers and newspapers.  Furthermore, in light of decreasing readership, many companies have come under scrutiny for bulking up their circulation with discounted copies that didn’t attract high-quality readers along with overstating their circulation rates.  The collaboration of decreasing circulation, readership and scandals resulted in many newspapers being forced to downsize their staff and coverage.  While the budget cuts hit hardest in areas like training, travel and resources for investigative and in-depth reporting, the areas some deem most critical in providing quality news content, the loss of high quality journalist furthered the disconnect from readers.  Trimming staff and coverage undercut the print product itself, making it less appealing to consumers, and therefore, to advertisers.

The decline in circulation and public trust are issues that the newspaper industry has been battling for years and there is no simple solution to these situations. However, it is clear that focusing on profits and aging demographics certainly isn’t the solution.  The appeal of visual media, along with the increasing availability and convenience of television and online news versus print are all competitive advantages that will only get harder for newspapers to compete with.  As such, it is essential that newspapers not only focus on increasing their circulation to younger demographics but also on gaining credibility and relationships with potential consumers. 

Arin