The future of print media in America

[Wizard of Westroads]

So, I work for an ad agency. Newspapers are in a death spiral, and there's not much they can do about it. The economics of a physical paper are just awful.

I was taking a mental inventory of all the hands, and therefore jobs, involved in producing an actual print newspaper. Paper has to be produced. It must be transported to the production facility. Employees there must print the actual paper copy. Not to mention all of the people who write, edit, sell ads at the newspaper. Someone then has to distribute the papers to an outlet where they can be ultimately be delivered by someone else to your front door.

The demise of this industry will have an impact on a lot of households.

It's like so many other "efficiencies" of the digital age that cost a lot of jobs in an extraordinary number of industries. The arrival of automobiles meant the end for blacksmiths and buggy whip makers, but so many new jobs were created in manufacturing. The airline industry cost rail jobs, but added jobs in aviation. But the digital/AI/robotics revolution will only reduce jobs until the transformation is complete. All for the good at some point, but the transition is hell for a lot people.

[LMS]

Like many Creighton fans I have issues with the local Omaha World Herald. We have a very good beat writer who does a good job, but he simply can't be everywhere all the time. He is after all just one guy.

On the other hand, there is an entire team dedicated to covering Nebraska football year round and UNL has a beat reporter who is a mouthpiece for the coach/university more or less openly cheering for their success. Most of those guys are UNL grads so the coverage is slanted and and when it comes to Creighton coverage they will get their digs in whenever they can.
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And just like that, this week the Omaha World Herald which has to rank as one of Warren Buffet's worst ever investment purchases, laid off another round of employees including some very long term writers and the Nebraska beat writer who had been there 39 years.

[ConnersvilleBulldog]

HBO's old hit series 'The Wire' does a great job of showing the downfall of print media in it's fifth and final season.

[ArmyVet]

ESPN the Magazine will shut down the print version in September. Launched in 1998.

[admin]

Gregg Doyel of the Indy Star with a plea for subscribers. It'a a tough world out there for journalists.

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/2 ... 887159001/

[ArmyVet]

Sports Illustrated expected to lay off 20% of full time staff.

Late Wednesday night, SI staffers received emails telling them to report to a “transition meeting” on Thursday. Staffers compared the emails and quickly realized that there are two separate meetings, at different times, and they fear that one of the groups (“Thanos-like”) will be given pink slips, with the other told it is safe.

https://deadspin.com/major-layoffs-are- ... 1838735368