Community Newspapers’ Demise A Reminder
April 13th, 2009 by Matt FriedmanAnother day. Another piece of shocking news about the fate of media outlets. This time, it’s word that five Metro Detroit community newspapers will go away at the end of May. That means not only the newspaper, but also coverage of those communities online will cease to exist in less than two months. This includes the oddly-named, but previously venerable, Birmingham Eccentric, which has covered its community since 1878.
For those outside the area, these are the papers that cover the school board meetings, the zoning disputes, the high school sports, the local events and the local people who accomplish things beyond the ordinary. One of the most indelible memories of the early days of my career is my appearance 19 years ago on the front page of the Eccentric, behind the board of WBFH-FM.
As with many of the cases of what’s happening with the media in the Detroit market, we expect this to be the beginning of a trend across the country. And if you think having to read your national and regional news online instead of getting a paper at your doorstep represents a big change, think about living in one of the five communities where your longtime hometown connection to your news is disappearing. There’s no answer to any of these questions:
-Who will cover what is perhaps your most important investment of tax dollars – your school district? Unless there are board corruption charges, it probably won’t be your regional media.
-Who will cover the local elections, shedding light on your choice of candidates. Unless sign stealing is involved, it probably won’t be your regional media.
-Who will cover high school sports? Expect for the all-stars, it probably won’t be your regional media.
-Who will preview local events? Unless they involve a celebrity, it probably won’t be your regional media.
As for PR strategy – we can’t emphasize this enough – it’s time for a new one that should include new platforms – that you control – and not just traditional media.
April 13th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
You ask four of the most important, highest-impact questions, Matt.
There’s also no answer to these:
- Who will provide first professional newsroom jobs for reporters, copy editors, page designers and visual journalists ready to start careers after graduating from Wayne, OU, Central, State or Michigan?
- Who will run local gadflies’ letters to the editor or guest commentaries about issues under the regional media radar because they’re literally at side street level.
- Who will sell micro-targeted ad space to small pizza shops, tailors, bakeries, independent jewelers and other neighborhood merchants?
Don’t think for a moment that the 19 weeklies given away by C&G Newspapers of Warren are an acceptable alternative. They’re worth what they cost, and there’s a reason papers like that are called “shoppers” or “penny-savers” by old-timers (as I’ve only HEARD!)
As someone whose first paychecks came from The Riverdale Press in the Bronx, NY, during high school, the death of community publications is especially painful.
April 13th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I live in Farmington, and we started getting C&G last year. They started out well, but now they just basically duplicate the Farmington Observer’s coverage. The best newspaper job I ever had was working for a free distribution weekly. We were profitable and read by 95 percent of the people who got our newspaper (and had the surveys to prove it), because we focused on one thing: being an active and supportive participant in our community. Newspapers owned by large corporations can’t do that.
I say this with great sadness, because up until about five years ago, I worked for the O&E. I left to work in PR, and I agree with everything Matt said, except that I believe non-traditional approaches to traditional media still work. I’ve noticed that my releases are published word for word in community papers, when they’ve been written like a news story. A little more attention to detail and creativity in releases can be effective as well.
I am so sad for the 44 people who are losing their jobs. Many are my friends. And I cannot for the life of me imagine why Gannett would have bought these papers, only to end up destroying them.