Taking the Paper Out of Newspaper

With classified ads and traditional sponsors drying up, many mainstream newspapers have found their online counterparts to actually make more money than their print editions. It has left many to suspect that the newspaper as we know it is on a slow stumble towards death.

The argument has often been countered by the fact that a media never dies, it just adapts and remains functional for a niche audience. While this may be true, there is something to be said about the ease of use and functionality of a good old American newspaper. Its cheap, disposable, and can be read anywhere.

Today marks the first coffin nail in the death of newspapers. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer said that Tuesday would be their last print edition of the print paper. That’s right, a major city’s big newspaper is going online only! The New York Times article on the story mentions that it will resemble a blog-style paper, ala Huffington Post, and will remain locally focused.

The change could mean a big change in publishing. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Seattle P-I) is a branch of Hearst, one of the largest publishers of newspapers and magazines in the country. There is no doubt that the performance of Seattle P-I might mean a big shift to the web for many publications. Hearst is responsible for San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, and countless other newspapers and magazines.

While I’m excited for publishing to be taking a turn towards digital, I wonder if the technology is really ready for this. We are still waiting for that perfect e-ink product to make books obsolete. While I think the Amazon Kindle and Sony Ebook Reader are great devices, and can deliver you the news faster than most computers…I still have doubts. They are expensive (starting at $300+) and the lack of a color screen hinders certain types of publishing. Where is the device that will be as cheap, disposable, and mobile as print?

Photo: allaboutgeorge

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