Charting the Future for Newspapers

Abstract

In this research thesis, I am attempting to demonstrate that newspapers, despite their current financial troubles, can nevertheless survive and prosper in the digital, new-media era if they can find more reliable ways of raising revenue. No newspaper can hope to succeed in the contemporary media landscape unless it can adjust its business model to meet the challenges presented by Internet-based news. With large amounts of news and information available for free on the World Wide Web, newspapers need to reconsider their traditional business model in order to remain relevant and competitive. Based on my research into numerous proposed economic models for print publications, I believe that the most favorable newspaper business model would be a combination of selective electronic paid content and Web-based advertising. A model in which newspapers display some of their online content for free, hide other content behind a pay wall, and make extensive use of Web advertising is, in my view, the model that is most likely to enable print publications to prosper over the long term. Combined with using the latest online media technologies, newspapers will be able to continue their role as disseminators of news, analysis and opinion.