In a market where online journalism grows every day, newspapers across the country are downsizing staff, using fewer pages, and revamping their design. Many see this as the beginning stages of extinction for printed news. Why should someone buy the tangible newspaper when they could read it online for free? As an editor, these are things Gary Metro has to consider every day when putting out his newspaper, which stretches across 12 counties that are critical for business. Metro’s paper is unusual, because he has managed to maintain a steady circulation during his tenure as editor. How has his newspaper done this while others continue to die out?
It’s all about change. The news market has changed in the last 30 years, which means newspapers have changed too. One thing that is more important is advertising. Making space for advertising is crucial for business, especially in today’s poor economy. Not only are there advertisements in their newspaper, but on their website as well, where they collect revenue for the number of page views their stories get. The stories themselves have changed as well, where there is more emphasis on government and big business. People do not want to just read numbers and figures anymore, but want them broken down and explained. An editor always has to look for new ways to present this information and can’t just do it anymore with a photo and a few lines of text. To make the information morer accessible to the readers, newspapers have now implemented various images into their stories: maps, graphs, more photos, and illustrated drawings. It’s all about attracting eyeballs to the page and keeping the reader interested. Metro’s newspaper has done something unique to maintain circulation, which is turning his newspaper into an “information company.” This means he puts out not only the newspaper, but also a magazine, a business journal, and even calendars.
And the one thing that a newspaper must have is a website. Today’s news crowd has a thirst for online journalism thatt must be quenched. A website allows the newspaper to supply unlimited amounts of information and content. If a reader wanted to find a story from a year ago, he or she could search and find it in the website’s source directories. Readers can even comment on the stories and read what other people have to say. A website also allows the paper to provide round-the-clock news. Metro claims his website will have a breaking news story at least once every hour, which means the site is always changing. Keeping up on competing newspapers’ websites also allows an editor to see his competition and find out what their edition could look like the next day. So if a reader has access to unlimited news and gets it all for free, is it only a matter of time until online journalism destroys the printed newspaper?
Newspapers are still the big horse for now and online journalism is the little horse. But the little horse is learning and growing every day, and nobody knows how big it will be in a few years, Metro said. There are some that believe newspapers should begin to charge for their online product. The counter-argument is t people have gotten used to the idea of free news and it would kill site traffic. Metro believes his website, if separated from the print productt and staffed independently, could potentially be its own business, but doesn’t know if that will ever happen. He maintains that while there will be fewer newspapers in time, the demand for news will always be there. Metro believes every new generation brings more curiosity. And whether it’s with newspapers or websites, he will be there doing his part.
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