Does the Web Trump TV and Print for News & Information?

The Christian Science Monitor looks at changes in the print publishing industry, focusing on a trend: “It’s not how many subscribers you have; it’s who they are.”

“Among newspapers, the rise of the elite media can be seen in the growing and increasingly nationalized circulations of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. On radio, it can be calculated in the increase of National Public Radio’s audience. In magazines, the prime example is The Economist.”

“If Time, which, like the other newsweeklies, hasn’t made serious changes for decades, is considering joining that club, it may signify a kind of tipping point for the American media. A great segregation of media outlets may be upon us, with many more news organizations choosing a specific path for their coverage.”

While this trend has lead to the creation of many upscale magazine brands, each targeting their own little niche of affluent readers, it doesn’t necessarily speak to the changes to the news & publishing industry due to the internet.

Perhaps the difference is in the medium: has TV become more of an entertainment (and info-tainment) medium, whereas the web is superior for news and information?

Leave a comment