Online-Only for the PI
Today marks the final print edition of one of the top newspapers in the United States, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The newspaper, which dates back to 1863, will be online-only starting tomorrow.
In my view, it will bear watching whether a major newspaper can begin a successful new life as an online publication. Newspapers across the country have been struggling with how to repurpose their print content online and make that content something that people want to consume. For the most part online content from newspapers has been like the proverbial falling tree in the forest that no one notices. Not only have print publications generally not done an outstanding job with their web strategy, there’s just too much competition online for them to make a dent.
Podcasting Killed the Satellite Radio
Video may have killed the radio star, but podcasting and Internet radio are killing satellite radio. SIRIUS and XM satellite radio services (now joined to become one company, SIRIUS XM) , were once great destinations for commercial-free niche programming and a nearly endless variety of talk, news, and sports programming. I was a subscriber of SIRIUS until very recently. Despite listening to very little other than podcasts when I’m driving, I did enjoy the variety of commercial free music in my office. I have my own collection of digital music, but it’s nice to not listen to the same tracks over and over again, no matter how many there are in the mix.
The problem for satellite radio, however, is that Internet radio and podcasting are maturing and filling the space that satellite radio once owned. Not only is there similar content available out there, the vast majority of Internet radio sites and podcasts are free. SIRIUS is trying to combat this with an iPhone app that will allow subscribers access to the company’s Internet audio on their iPhones. This is a great idea, but it’s too little too late.
Local News Must Become MORE Local
Local media is at a crossroads. Nothing new there, I realize. But, a new article by Mike Elgan in ComputerWorld goes one step further in saying local news is actually dead. Here’s a snippet from the article:
Let’s Never Forget, We’re the Real Story
With apologies to 1987′s Broadcast News (still one of the most accurate movie portrayals of a real broadcast newsroom), let’s never forget, we’re the real story here, not them. CNBC’s Rick Santelli gave a great example of that line of thinking last week when he started ranting on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade. The rant, which slammed President Obama’s efforts to stimulate the economy, has since gone viral. Here’s a clip:
Social Media Changing Journalism and PR
Thanks to Lisa Hoffman for Twitting about a great blog post by Scott Hepburn that tries to help journalists take their craft into the new social media world. We are witnessing the slow agonizing death of the traditional print newspaper. The reporters and columnists that are employed by those newspapers need to start making moves to secure their future.

