View From 2018

Howard I. Finberg wrote a piece for the Newspaper Association of America's: Imagining the Future of the Newspapers where Finsberg looks back from 2018 and reflects on how the newspaper got where it is today(2018 in the piece).

Finberg talks of the "turmoil that gripped the newspaper and broadcast industries between 2000 and 2012". Claiming that at sometimes it felt more like panic than turmoil. He says that even though professional journalism survived many big-city newspapers did not, and Finsberg speaks of some of the main reasons some survived and others didn't.

The first is the 'Press Advantage'. Finsberg says that in 2018 the day of the thick never ending newspaper is over. The newspapers that did survive went to the tabloid look to attract readers. Finsberg says that the Old Growth Forest Protection Act of 2014 really took a hit on the industry. Recycling the newspapers was now a must.

The 'Distribution Advantage' is Finsberg's second point. He says that the the surviving companies no longer just threw their papers in driveways but went to the "high-speed printer using the WiMax networks in most cities to deliver digital content that can be printed on demand". The distribution, Finsberg says, will be outsourced to FedEx or UPS.

The advantage that shifted the fastest according to Finsberg was the 'Advertising Advantage'. The survivors realized that "advertisers need solutions, not space and the customer is in control."

Finsberg also says the newspapers who have survived realized they have to settle equally for news and information in their articles. They provided solutions as well as a sense of community.

A view from 2018 is a little scary. It is easy to see where societies decisions today will have an effect on tomorrow.