In true Pennsylvania spirit, Local Onliner blogger Peter Krasilovsky recalled a state native who was one of the forefathers of newspapers – Ben Franklin, who started the Saturday Evening Post. “Would Ben Franklin think adherence to ‘old ways’ secures ‘liberty?” he asked. Probably not.
Krasilovsky views the newspaper industry’s situation as a “glass half-full”: There is a high rate of online advertising growth, the bundling of print and online deals adds value to the product, newspapers have maintained 40 percent of all local online revenues (according to Borrell Associates) and newspapers remain “A-List” partners for vendors and networks.
He did acknowledge the empty half of the glass, however. He said it takes 10 (or more) online users to “make up” for every print user lost (according to Borrell Associates). McClatchy found recently that 70 percent of their print subscribers don’t touch the Web site.
There are so many growth opportunities for local newspapers, Krasilovsky pointed out. Those include local search, user generated content, growth and innovation in verticals and more. In addition, newspapers are better positioned than other local media like yellow pages, television stations, radio stations, shoppers and alternative weeklies. Though Krasilovsky said he’s a fan of the yellow pages and finds them quite useful, “I really am envious of the community newspapers are able to create,” he said.
Local Search
Going forward, there is no way to escape Google and Yahoo, he said. According to Piper Jaffray, who wrote the recently-published “The User Revolution,” search has become the new portal, and local search remains a looming opportunity. Search can drive traffic to articles, sections and advertisers, it can be the basis for newspaper directories and more, according to Planet Discover. Local search, especially, is the “crown jewel” of opportunities for newspapers.
Some of the advantages in search that newspapers bring to the table are that newspapers have the local brand and (potentially) sales channels, Krasilovsky said. Newspapers also have human editors to drive contextual relevance at the local level and match categories.
Video Production and Placement
Video production and placement is another growth area for newspapers, Krasilovsky said. Yellow Pages are selling videos already, and video is becoming part of a comprehensive “mash-up” advertising strategy for auto dealers and others. “Newspapers, with their editorial creativity, should definitely be involved in it,” he said.
In conclusion, Krasilovsky said it’s time to “reappreciate the print business.” He said many of the trends are online, but the print edition still has “long legs.”