I’m frequently greeted with “So, how long can you stay in business,” making me feel like the wife who doesn’t know she has a cheating husband.
Yes, the newspaper industry is hurting. This is not exactly news. But when the Times-Picayune, the newspaper of New Orleans, announces it is reducing its print product to three days a week, well, you know something’s up.
The change puts New Orleans as the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. not to have a daily newspaper.
Newspaper executives say its circulation has declined by almost half since 2005, but that reflects more of the flight from Hurricane Katrina than anything else. Since Katrina, the city has shrunk by one-third. It’s also estimated that 75 percent of New Orleans residents read the paper, a very strong testament of its relevance.
Execs maintain those lost days of publication will be replaced by its website edition — preparing for the day when newspapers will be an online-only product.
We’re not there yet, but I suppose in the near future every house will have as many laptops as it does TVs. And every newspaper will have a web edition.
Today, the Register is still the only newspaper in Allen County with a website. We’re currently updating that product. In July, we’ll not only have a new look but also easier navigational and search tools. This isn’t in preparation of being a web-only publication, but in recognition that people get their news in myriad formats and if we want to stay in business we need to go where they are.
The New Orleans paper is cutting half its news staff. Some of those will be hired back on a freelance basis — minus benefits. That’s a lot of “memory muscle” being lost, newspaper critic David Carr said.
It also leaves the city bereft of a civic commons — the place from which ideas and discussions spring forth. The Register’s primary goal is to have an informed citizenry.
It’s part and parcel to why Iola is at the forefront of things like Project 17 — the regional economic development initiative. Why Iola has taken a strong lead in the development of the Prairie Spirit Trail. Why it can pass initiatives to build a new hospital. And why our elected officials are held under the public spotlight probably more so than in any other berg.
Yes, Facebook and other social networks have usurped our roles in sharing personal information. But no other area medium has as its goal to deliver in-depth news about not only Iola, but also all of Allen County. It’s up to us to keep being relevant in your lives.
As long as we keep that commitment, I feel secure we’ll be rewarded by your patronage.
