Do you read a newspaper regularly? When? Where? What do you find that the newspaper has that you cannot get in another medium?

Who in your family reads a newspaper? How does that person use the paper? Does this person talk about what he or she reads? Does this person look at the advertisements in the newspaper?

Newspapers are constantly trying to attract young readers. How would use advise that they do this?

Newspapers are important because

• they are an economic engine for a community

• they employ a lot of people, particularly on the journalism side of the operation

• they have a long history and tradition

• they should serve as an independent, non-governmental voice for a community

• they are the engines of journalism, particularly at the local level

But you don't read newspapers, do you? Why not? Why should you?

Newspaper organization

            Ownership – independent, chain

            A chain is a group of newspapers that share some corporate practices and policies but are, in the main are run as separate organizations.

Organizational chart

            Two major parts of the organization: editorial and business

            Business side produces the revenue: 60 to 80 percent from advertising; 20 to 40 percent from circulation. Other business operations include administration and promotion.

            Circulation of a newspaper is an interesting process; timing is often exact and mistakes are expensive.

            Editorial side organization: publisher, editor, managing editor, departmental editors, reporters, (the editorial page and section is a separate consideration)

            Here's how that side works: (click on the chart to the right to see a larger, interactive version)

            Newspapers are rich in tradition and the job is so difficult that a "culture of journalism"  (see lecture on News) has developed. Some aspects of this culture:

            • tell the truth

            • act independently

            • keep your word

            • maintain attitude of public service

Some facts about circulation:

            • 1,400 daily newspapers, morning, evening and Sunday

            • 55.2 million daily circulation as of 2002

                        morning – 46.6, evening – 8.5

            • 913 Sunday editions, 58.7 million

            • 9,389 weeklies, two-thirds community

                        8,186 once a week; 689 more; 514 less

Trends in newspapers

Newspapers remain economically strong.

High profit margins

Why? They are monopolies in most cases; this is good for the company but not the industry or the consumers. Newspapers have been unable to respond to changing environments – or responding inappropriately. For instance, many are spending major buck

Decline in readership.

-- total circulation has remained at 50 to 60 million during past two generations while population has in

-- fewer young readers

-- free web editions, although advertising is picking up

Newspaper circulation. In the fall of 2004, a report was issued by the Audit Bureau of Circulations showing another decline in newspaper readership. Here is part of what the New York Times story said about the report:

The losses were widespread, with two-thirds of papers reporting flat or declining circulation, including The Washington Post and The Daily News, according to an analysis by the Newspaper Association of America of figures released yesterday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. And the industry's decline was more evident on Sundays.

The average daily circulation for the nation's 841 daily newspapers fell 0.9 percent, to 47,711,751, for the six months ended Sept. 30, as compared with the period a year earlier, according to the newspaper association. For those 662 papers that publish Sundays, the drop over the same period was 1.5 percent, to 51,625,241, according to the association's analysis.

Concentration of ownership

good – more resources for the local property; more changes for advancements for those who work for the company; more chances for people to rise to the top

bad – decline of local ownership, community-based organizations

 

New media environment

era of 24/7 news – newspapers don't fit in very well

But what about the web? Newspapers haven't done very well so far in using the web to be part of this new accelerated environment

Difficult working conditions

low pay, hard work for young journalists

lack of development, opportunities for advancement

cutbacks despite high profits

more investment in property than personnel

Questions?