Diocesan newspapers
Thu, 07/30/2009 - 9:00am
Has anyone seen statistics on the number of Diocesan newspapers that are online vs. paper only? Ours in La Crosse is paper only with no plans of going online. I guess I'm a webhead, but I suppose paper news has it's advantages. Like fire kindling?
Thu, 07/30/2009 - 2:04pm
#2
Some observations FWIW
I've been working for a diocesan newspaper for 2 years. I also attended the annual Catholic Press Association conference in Anaheim and have gotten to be somewhat familiar with the terrain.
Quick hit list...
- Many are not online
- Many piggyback on their Diocesan website
- Many got a website a few years ago because "they had to be on the web". My opinion is many of these sites are woefully inadequate
- A handful are in the realm of Web 2.0
- There's a slight push towards Open Source CMS'es (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal) for those in the know
- Many have been losing money and are in tough economic conditions
- Many Dioceses are not able to allocate funds towards their survival
Yes, these are all generalizations, but I believe them to be fairly representative statements based on what I've seen.
If the economy keeps rolling in the direction it's been going...it's going to become more and more difficult for these print publications to stay afloat. Printing and postage prices continue to skyrocket and the papers that permit advertising have seen a drop in revenue.
At our paper, our union agreed to a small pay reduction to avoid any layoffs, but we've tweaked our business plan a bit and so that should keep us going for awhile.
Like any non-profit doing the Lord's work...we survive on Grace.
Thu, 07/30/2009 - 5:38pm
#3
^ I second all that
^ I second all that @catholicservant said above. These are tough times for newspapers, and I would think that to not consider going online (not necessarily *only* online, but online at all) should not even be an option. I think that would be irresponsible, as all the statistical analysis of the news industry agrees: you won't be reaching the younger generations if you do this!
Newspaper business models are changing quickly and painfully in the secular industry; the fact that the current economy hasn't crushed as many diocesan newspapers (yet) surprises me (the 'grace' principle must be in effect). But I think that God is only giving us a little more time to adapt to the changing situation—to ignore current trends is to stick one's head in the sand, and should not be done!
Can't stop laughing LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!