Framing- State of the News Media

Michael Schudson, the sociologist of journalism at Columbia University, sees the promise of “a better array of public informational resources emerging. ” This new ecosystem will include different “styles” of journalism, a mix of professional and amateur approaches and different economic models — commercial, nonprofit, public and “university-fueled.” I agree that there is going to have to be a mix of approaches and economic models. I wonder is a commercial model is feasible in the current economic state and whether it ever will be again.

“Most news organizations — new or old — are becoming niche operations, more specific in focus, brand and appeal and narrower, necessarily, in ambition.” When I read about all the things we should be doing I get really annoyed because people have been saying these things for years but newspapers have not been listening to the people (specifically younger people) who have been making suggestions for change. If newspapers were not so set in their ways maybe our only problem would be the economy. The problems in the industry right now can not be blamed purely on the recession. Can we just start over?

Can we install a successful subscription system that allows the media outlets enough revenue to operate in the black? People pay for cable and netflix. Could we use model like that or even one like pandora where you hit a “pay wall” but it gives you a low-cost yearly subscription.

Since people will go to a different source when told they have to pay how can we create a system where professional organizations create a subscription program (like cable) without breaking any federal laws? Also, how do we keep competition alive if people are paying a subscription for several media outlets?

The Miami Herald, The Sun-Sentinel, and Palm Beach post share content. How can one of them expect to be on top when there is less competition not only in the specific readership area but over three counties?

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