Seattle newspaper ends print edition

[gordo]

After 145 years as a printed newspaper the Seattle Post Intelligencer becomes an online only news source - Seattle news, sports, entertainment | seattlepi.com - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

best, gordon p

my print blog here: Quality In Print

[Cory Smith]

Looks to be the first of many. just looking at our local paper, it's getting really thin. Few placement ads, even fewer classified ads (they are even offering them for free!).

[doubting_thomas]

The Seattle Times isn't very far behind it. Very thin too.
The PI will I'm sure be used by many soon to be bankrupt
papers as a test model to see if money can be made on-line
after stopping print production. Seems like the most difficult
hurdle will be making money, although retaining respected
reporters may help. I for one hope they can make the
transition and continue to deliver quality reporting on local
issues. That's really been a paper's bread and butter for some time.

[kylezut]

To be completely honest. I do not see the online version of the Seattle PI or the Time to be competitive with their ads as craiglist has been. Unfortunately, they have to draw on the profits of classified ads and commercial ads to make any sort of profit and with these items quickly changing into mailers and craiglisting, it'll be hard to see any newspaper turning a profit for 2009, especially when they become exclusive to online.

Cris
Minuteman Press : Welcome

[gordo]

The same thing is happening in Canada, however, the situation seems a bit different here and maybe suggests a possible future....We seem to have a great many thriving weekly and twice weekly local neighborhood newspapers in each city - which is something I don't think you have much of in the US (although some dailies are experimenting with microzone publishing). These neighborhood papers are free and have become the main carriers of sales flyers for the big box stores, grocery stores, etc. as well as coupons. The news and advertising carried in these neighborhood papers are mostly restricted to shops in the respective locale. As a result they don't compete with the internet and deliver advertising that would very difficult to deliver electronically. They also don't have much in the way of news reporter staffing since they make extensive use of local folks providing content - that helps keep costs down.
So perhaps the some of the US dailies might shift to this neighborhood model as a way to survive?

best, gordo

my print blog here: Quality In Print

[meddington]

Newspapers are having a very hard time around here as well.

Ann Arbor News, since 1835, is moving to online only format...

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/...se_in_jul.html

very sad. Online news is all very fine, but not the same experience, and you can't line a bird cage with it when your finished.

The local paper here is under going changes as well...

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/...ounces_ch.html

The gazette had just put in a new 3 story press a few years ago.