Here is my prediction for the day.
The second half of 2007 is when we will witness the death of the first "big" newspaper from the convergence of blogs, podcasts, and the like.
by this, I mean we will see the shuttering of a "major" player - think the Times, the Journal, something like that, and in its place will rise up the digital-only version. Be it "digital paper," (which will probably be cheaper than regular paper) or web/cast based, the newspaper will die as we know it, and others will follow.
My prediction for the day.
Thoughts?
I think 2007 is far too optimistic -- but if you are right, please, dear God, let the first newspaper to die be the New York Post or Washington Times...
Posted by: Gary Goldhammer | May 27, 2005 at 14:21
I seriously can't see that happening - think 2017 (okay maybe that's a little excessive :D).
In my opinion a smaller publication will be the first to make the jump. In Ireland the Sunday Tribune has been hemorrhaging money (about €90,000 a week http://www.examiner.ie/pport/web/week_in_news/Full_Story/did-sgGzCuGMctDmksgdL11Zs5FWAE.asp) and has put some of the blame on marketing ploys like cd giveaways. I think that a paper in the same position as the Sunday Tribune will be the first to take the leap in order to reduce costs and differentiate themselves from the competition.
Posted by: Piaras Kelly | May 28, 2005 at 10:47
They said that about books -- never happened. Won't happen to newspapers (in general) either as long as a substantial portion of the population is educated, literate, and not part of the short attention span group. Folks like us will never be satisfied with a complete substitution of pixels for paper.
Posted by: Dick Weltz | May 30, 2005 at 13:06