There is turmoil in the newspaper industry. Real, gut-wrenching, industry restructuring hold on to your seatbelts turmoil. The pale economy is accelerating the pain. Layoffs and leadership changes are common. Advertising sales are sagging at major newspapers and larger dailies are racing to figure out what to make now that it is clear the “horseless carriage” will be replaced.

These dramatic changes have an impact on any business who wants to reach newspaper consumers through advertising or through news coverage. For starters, fewer pages and fewer reporters mean there is less space for news. Less space for news items means story ideas have to be very sharp to be accepted.

For advertisers, it is important to understand why and when a newspaper ad is useful and who you are now reaching. Also, most newspapers have ramped up their websites and work hard to create cross platform ad packages. These can be tricky to evaluate as web measurement is still evolving, as well.

The Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism has issued their look at the “The Changing Newsroom.” The 36-page study analyzes what is being gained and lost in America’s changing newsrooms.

Change is hard. And for an old newspaperman like myself, watching newspapers reinvent themselves can be very sad.

Gary
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