Newspapers face stiff competition against other mediums that broadcast news, such as the television, the radio, and the biggest competition, the World Wide Web. With the fast advancement intechnology, news no longer needs to be viewed sedentarily. Electronic companies are catering to the fast-paced and busy lifestyles of Americans; therefore, creating devices that are portable and convenient for getting the news. New technology such as tablet PCs, e-book readers, and smart phones are replacing the way we have been receiving the news.
However, these new devices cannot replace the worth of owning a hard copy. If the traditional printing of newspaper was to continue, what needs to be done is simply combining technology and printed newspaper as one medium, in doing so, we can also promote free subscriptions to see how much success this idea can go. Newspaper and online resources both have components that are lacking. “ The newspaper industry has changed dramatically and there is no doubt that we’ll continue to see a change in the print of newspaper.
But there are some very interesting opportunities that should be focused on and that is: delivering content to readers in the preferred medium, generating new methods of advertising that are more relevant for the consumer and effective for the advertiser, controlling costs for the newspaper publisher. ” (Peck) Seeing that the decline in newspaper sales became a popular trend over decades of time, I would like to propose a solution to the problem that would approach news in a different and effective way. This idea would be to embed digital components within the newspaper itself.
For example, “ Touch sensitive screens, audio and video players which would be water proof, flexible, shock proof and have a decent quality. ” (Mahaptra, Kumar) The idea would be to have newspaper and reader interaction. Touch screens of suitable dimensions with flash memory that would be pre-programmed and stitched into the newspaper. A user would just need to touch the screen to get whatever image is being portrayed. Similarly, embedding an audio player would be programmed to read out a particular news selection.
This idea is similar to the movie scenes in the Harry Potter series where an individual is reading a newspaper that portrays content as the layout of pictures change magically. In this case, for my solution would be to interpret the images digitally. This idea is revolutionary and innovative as well as a creative approach to delivering content in the interest of users. This would be the closest way to keep within tradition of the printed newspaper and in turn compensating the demands of the “ fast-paced and busy lifestyles of Americans. “ News needs to be more attuned to readers’ personal priorities and this means journalists moving from ‘wide audience, low relevance’ stories (i. e. , small earthquake reported in Peru) to ‘low audience, high relevance’ stories. A newspaper’s service is to aggregate and deliver all the news that a reader should be interested in that day. ” (Crosbie) By doing so this service would save readers time making it more plausible in using this approach. It would save them from searching hundreds or even millions of articles on the world’s most recent news.
With “ The worldwide recession of 2008, combined with the rapid growth of web-based alternatives, causing a serious decline in advertising and circulation, as many papers close or sharply retrench their operations. ” (Mahaptra, Kumar) It is this service that should be provided for which newspaper companies should be able to generate greater revenue and secure larger readership today. The mass customization of newspaper editions relevant to each reader’s interests is one of the many solutions necessary for the industry to survive.
Technological advancement has been an obstacle for the newspaper industry, but the low circulation rates also arise from the individuals who depend on the new technology. These individuals are use to and love the word “ free”, they don’t think they need to pay for content. “ A solution that ignores this simple fact is destined to fail, regardless of technology, software or widgets. This requires a behavioral change, from both the newspapers and its readers…The goal is to change mindsets, alter behavior, and generate revenue in a sustainable way (i. e. , make papers structurally profitable). (Ritholtz) A great approach would be to promote free subscriptions and later charging for continual subscriptions. This method would require registering an account and providing credit card information. By doing so, individuals are allowed access to a bundle of news articles. If not registered, individuals are only able to see a certain amount of content within that article.
This is similar to approach to online essay websites that post other writers’ essay, and a purchase is required to see the full essay. However, the primary goal at this point is not to generate revenue, but to get the public used to paying for content. This in urn will give control over cost of newspaper and aid to the decline of newspaper circulation with the help of public media consumers. There are many possible solutions in instigating ways to fix the decline of newspaper circulation. In order for the newspaper industry to thrive, we must consider technology as a new way to cope with the demands of individuals, consider individuals preference for content, and consider that individuals and the industry itself must work together make this change possible. In effect, this will make that difference that can change the way people read news and still keeping to tradition of a printed newspaper.
