slow demise of newspapers.

I’m thankful that I’m not in the newspaper business. With the emergence of online editions of print versions, Web sites, corporate blogs, new media advertising, etc. newspapers are struggling.

The NY Times reported a 8.9% decrease in revenue last year due to the decrease of print advertising. It is also noted that business leaders have a higher level of trust for what they read in the newspaper as opposed to online or watch of TV. Personally, I see little need for print editions of newspapers. I garner all my news from respected news sources online, including my local paper and TV stations — however, I rarely watch my local TV station on the television or purchase a newspaper.

The idea of buying a newspaper and sitting down with a cup of coffee first thing in the morning is appealing. But it is much more efficient to have an RSS feed to your Blackberry or iPhone and catch up on the latest news events on your commute to work, or log online during a lull in the morning to browse through the news headlines.

In order for newspapers to survive, they must evolve with emerging media. Our local newspaper has done an excellent job of hosting online advertisments (banner ads and video commercials). They have stepped out and made the effort to engage the consumer on their Web site. They allow comments on stories and classified ads online. This allows the paper, and the reporters, to build deeper relationships with the readers.