Things aren't so bad at newspapers and television stations, economically speaking.
Research released at the National Conference for Media Reform in Memphis this weekend revealed “economic prospects are strong for newspapers and TV stations – despite more competition from new media. Their forecasts run counter to a widely held view that digital media and the Internet have dramatically altered the economic landscape for traditional media,” USA Today reported Friday.
Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union and Free Press all prepared research ahead of today’s FCC deadline for public comment on media-ownership rules.
About those organizations: Consumer Federation of America is “an advocacy, research, education, and service organization. As an advocacy group, it works to advance pro-consumer policy on a variety of issues before Congress,” according to its Web site. The study is not yet available on the CFA site. The Consumers Union publishes Consumer Reports magazine, and bills itself as an “expert, independent, nonprofit organization, whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers.” Free Press is a media reform organization, who sponsored the conference in Memphis.
“The groups also say research contradicts the notion that young people's media habits have changed: Several studies show that 18- to 29-year-olds spend less time than other adults reading or watching news, but data from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press show news interest grows as they mature,” according to the USA Today article.