How long before Newspapers die?

That's really not surprising. I've seen our rack sales/distribution tumble over the years, too. I can definitely see it coming to an end as the digital version of the paper eats into some of that.

 

Do you think people would buy it anyway?

Nowadays, I think most people consume news up to the point that it is no longer free. Then they don't consume it any more.

Under most circumstances, people value their money more than they value knowing about specific news events. This is because information is so plentiful in 2015, and has been for some time. I can't read about the car accident out on Old Route 14? That's OK. I can spend three hours reading ESPN or Slate or CNN for free, going down one rabbit hole after another.

People like local news, of course. But what they are really consumers of is much broader: News about things they are interested in. Local news is part of it. So, probably, is NBA free agency. And maybe summer grilling recipes. And kayak reviews. And Jeb Bush's effective tax rate. And the weather.

Without an enormous base of potential customers, which national sites like ESPN Insider, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times can draw from, it is very difficult to hold readers hostage. They'll just consume something else. It's a free buffet to them. Mashed potatoes might be their favorite food. But if it suddenly costs money to eat mashed potatoes, they'll gladly settle for the rice. Really they just want to eat.

 

And nobody wants to eat their veggies — on the real buffet line and on the online news buffet.

That's the biggest problem about the print newspaper dying. Oversight and coverage of local government, school boards, etc. will die, too.

 

It's an enormous problem.

I just don't know how to force people to give a shit. Enough of a shit, I mean, to financially underwrite the reporting.

 

That may be true for some, but there are others who would buy it. If you promote on Twitter a feature story about somebody in the area, but then post the full article online, the only people who will buy are those who want a hard copy for themselves. If you only post a snippet online, you're more likely to get a few more who actually want to read the feature because they know they can't just go online to get it.

 

Nobody's making that trip to the news stand. Not in 2015.

 

People will buy papers if something historic happened.

Local team wins a title or gay marriage passes or something.

There's a pretty fascinating study floating around about how people are over saturated with information on national elections but don't know jack shit about the local school board or city council election.

The national elections, which have little to no impact on day to day life but because of TV and national media, people know everything.

The local elections that can and often do change people's lives, since they aren't reading the paper anymore, they know nothing.

I'll see if I can find it because it was really quite something.

 

That is our country's future. Nobody gives a shit about local news. Problem is, the crooks are going to steal the public blind once there's no watchdog in the corner.

 

Doc Holliday, I want to thank you for starting such a great thread. There's been such good discussion here. And Dick Whitman, that's a great question about what would have happened had newspapers not been giving away stuff for free on the Internet 20 or so years ago. It's something I've often wondered myself.

 

I agree. Terrific, insightful discussions here. Doc and I had a slight disagreement a few pages back, but he has done a terrific job with this thread and deserves our thanks.

 

Thanks for the mention, but it's the board and the contributors that deserve the credit.

It's definitely been beneficial and educational to get everyone's opinions on the situation. Bronco, I'm sure we agree that it's good to disagree. If everyone agreed to everything, there would be nothing to discuss or debate and no way to grow.

 

You got the ball rolling with a good question and board members have maintained the high quality with great discussion, one of the best threads I've seen here. I certainly give everyone who has contributed credit, but I wanted to give you credit for getting it started.