Death of the Old Media I: Your morning paper......

I delivered the Richmond Times-Dispatch for 14 years.

During that time, we saw the parent company, Media General, cease publishing its afternoon equivalent, The Richmond News Leader, in 1992.

As the 2000s dawned, the Internet was booming along, and, as you could get news faster and faster, and all media outlets felt the need to have a web presence, newspapers had to do the same.

But as opposed to radio or television, the newspaper industry was the first major member of what is called today the "Old Media" to stare down the Internet, and shake in its collective boots. Why? Simple. Read THIS STORY, then continue this post....

A generation is about to arrive that asks the question:

"Why pay for and wait for the newspaper to show up on my driveway when I can read it online, and, be assured it'll never be delivered wet?"

We left the paper route at the end of 2002. There had not been much of a drop in circulation at the time, but the discussion concerning the "inevitable showdown" between the newspaper and its web site was already underway.

Some papers attempted to make people pay to read the online content, such as the New York Times. That was a complete disaster. Why?

1) New Yorkers could get their news on a number of other websites for free. I mean, how many other newspapers are in NYC, not just radio, television, et al??

2) National and world news was easily accessible from anyone from CNN.com, MSNBC.com, to "portals" such as Drudgereport.com.

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The circulation drop, and subsequent cutting of many newspaper jobs, began in earnest last year, with 2008 looking grim; not just because of the internet issue, but, as with all media, but because of forecasts of stalled or lower overall ad revenue due to recession fears.

So, the "newspapers" with the better chance of surviving have done this:

1) Embrace the web as an active part of the printed newspaper. Drive your readers to the website for additional information (saves on paper!), teach your older readers how to be web savvy, etc.

2) SELL, SELL, SELL!!! Web advertising, whether packaged with the actual paper, or otherwise, has made a difference.

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Newspaper carriers don't have to fear for their jobs for at least a few more years, in my view. The baby boomer generation, I think, pretty much still likes to have that newspaper in hand, to take to work with them, or, on Sunday morning, to peruse with their first and second cups of joe.

My generation (30-45) is also used to the paper; we'll respect both the print and the web versions, especially as smart newspapers use one to augment the other.

It's everyone born after, say, 1980 or 1981, that, one day, especially in this age of environmental awareness, will collectively ask, "Why are we still printing these dinosaurs?"

Ten years from now, maybe sooner, if you want your morning paper on, well, paper, you'll need to press "print".

New Media 1, Old Media 0. And more media forms that we thought "would never die" are about to come face to face with either their inevitable "extreme makeover", or, their demise.