The newspaper world is a cutthroat business. Major publications compete with each other in every capacity imaginable—who has the best writers, the best advertisers, the best ratings.
In many aspects, the advertisement spaces bought from a newspaper are just as important, and just as competitive among outlets, as many of the pieces the paper publishes, which are beginning to detrimentally affect the wellbeing of paper outlets worldwide. In the peak of the digital age, the media world is spiraling off of its axel, putting mass media outlets in positions that many never could have imagined.
As digital journalism and media consumption reforms our world, consumers are more and more eager to access the news online via computers and smart phones. This has led to major outlets charging subscriptions for online fees and newspapers that are traditionally known for their print publications—for example, the New York Times—changing their entire infrastructures to focus on the digital realms of the news business.
Revenue wise, advertising is huge for any form of print media. According to the Pew Research Center, an American organization dedicated to dissecting and advancing journalism, daily newspaper advertising in both print and digital form makes up about two-thirds of a newspaper’s total revenue. However, this same advertising in both forms is only about half of what it was in 2005. The Center makes it extremely clear that, though digital advertising is increasing, it’s not growing “nearly fast enough to keep pace with declines in legacy ad forms.”
To compensate for this loss of revenue, newspaper outlets are making changes to their print media systems in unprecedented ways. While papers are still being printed, color is sometimes limited to just the front page and distribution routes are being changed to conserve fuel, all in an effort to spare costs.
With many going out of business and several reputable outlets charging to read digital articles, consumers are seeing less and less advertising. The marketing and public relations sphere of the entire mass media world is soon to be affected by this change in preference, unless publishers can come up with revolutionized ways to market to consumers within their preferred method of news consumption.
While the news business prides itself on its versatility and irreplaceability in the life of the everyday human being, marketing and advertising don’t always fare well with platform shifts. However, one thing is for certain: the news business and the world of advertising are two nearly inseparable entities, with similar goals in mind. In order for one to thrive, the other typically has to be in tow, sending one all-encompassing statement to media outlets, advertising agencies and consumers, alike: newspaper corporations and advertisers are going to have to adapt in order to please the public and survive the creation of a new digital era.
