The Sometimes Picayune

In my last blog I mentioned that my posts would probably not be as frequent as they were, but my Strategic Communication and Emerging Media class also encourages a weekly blog. Lucky for you there will be more blogging from me coming your way. For those of you just joining, welcome to my blog.  My name is Nicole Johnson. I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. I studied Spanish at the University of Southern Mississippi (Go Eagles!). Currently, I am a Marketing Communications Coordinator at a health insurance company. I decided that I enjoyed working in the field of communications and wanted to learn more, so I enrolled in Troy University’s Strategic Communications graduate program. I feel that continuing my education will help me excel in my current position and advance my career in the future. The primary purpose of this course is to explore the quickly changing world of strategic communications and how it is being transformed by digital and social media. My topics will cover information based on our readings and discussions in class. The topic of this weeks blog will touch on the decline of traditional media due to the presence of new media sources.

Growing up in the out skirts of New Orleans, I was raised to appreciate tradition, which is why I’m a bit nostalgic about the local newspaper, The Times Picayune. We would celebrate Mardi Gras, go to Jazz Fest, eat beignets, and enjoy our crawfish boils. I can remember grabbing the Times Picayune from the front porch to lie out on the picnic table for our weekly crawfish boils with family and friends. I use to make copies of the comic strips on silly putty by flattening the putty with my elbow. On weekends that we would drive out to visit my grandma in Slidell, we would sit at her dinner table and help clip coupons. As I grew older, I would read the Lagniappe to see what’s happening around town. The Times Picayune was unlike any other newspaper for a city unlike any other city in the world.

When I moved off to college I did not really think twice about my local newspaper. If I wanted to see what was going on in my hometown, I would rely on the internet and view the news on www.nola.com instantly. Well in those days we had dial-up and the internet wasn’t near as fast as it is now, so it wasn’t instantly but it was quicker than looking through the newspaper. 

In 2012, the two time Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper announced that The Times Picayune will only print the news three days a week in order to focus on its online "new media" source, www.nola.com. They began to only publish on Wednesdays, Fridays and a special Sunday edition to be distributed the night before. This was a first after 175 years of service to the Crescent City. The decision makes New Orleans the largest city in the United States without a daily new publication.

There is a growing number of other newspaper organizations dropping to only three publications per week and focusing on the online editions. Online news is becoming more and more popular. Instant news updates make online news more attractive to news readers. By the time news is printed and delivered to your door, the news you are reading is yesterday’s news.

Mass media’s landscape is quickly changing. There are many new ways to get the news these days. The internet and digital devices such as the smartphone and IPad make accessing the news you want to read so much more convenient and it’s free.

Pew Research reports that 50% of the public cites the internet as a main source of national and international news. Among those, younger Americans ages 18-29, 71% cite the internet as a main news source. Ages 30-49, not far behind at 63% get their news online.

Pew research also reports that more Americans consume news on mobile devices: 64%of tablet owners and 62% of smartphone owners said they got their news onmobile devices in 2012.

Technology has played a major role in the digital switch from traditional media. Our smartphones are more than just phones. They allow us instant access to the information we desire to read. Why would I pay money for information that I have on my I-Phone, laptop or tablet for free? It’s not really free, because I’m paying my monthly phone bill and internet connection bill in order to have the luxury of digital access at my fingertips. I choose not to read the newspaper because I prefer to look up my news online. The newspaper would create unwanted clutter in my house, which I do not need with a family of five.

People are different and not everyone has internet access or a digital device. Even if they do they still appreciate traditional news. A traditional media generation still exists and they want to feel and smell their news in their hands. They enjoy the whole experience of it. As long as this generation still exists, there will be a market for the traditional news. The problem is, the news organizations struggle to accommodate this generation with the decline of subscriptions and advertisers.

Newspaper designer Jacek Urko made some interesting points in his Ted Talk video Can design save newspapers? He has proven that design can reconnect people to the newspaper. Design can change your brand, product and workflow. Urko redesigned newspapers by experimenting with artistic pictures, type and illustration and had fun with it. The front page was his opportunity to grab the reader’s attention with an artistic statement of reality. Then he treated the entire newspaper as one composition. Like a musical piece with ups and downs. He spread articles over two pages instead of one. In Bulgaria alone circulation increased 100% after redesign.

Maybe newspaper organization should give the power to the designers like Urko suggests. Redesigning the newspapers may be what they need to help them survive a little bit longer. If it worked for so many other countries, why not give it a chance?

What are some things that you think could help save newspapers?