Michigan's Newspapers

Today I attended a panel at CMU entitled “Michigan’s Newspaper Industry: Our Past, Present and Future.” Journalism professionals [who also are CMU alumni] from around the state gathered for a very interesting and thought-provoking discussion.

The panelists included:

1. •Lonnie Peppler-Moyer, past president of the Michigan Press Association and publisher of the Monroe Evening News and Bedford Now.
   

2. •Laura Varon Brown, audience editor and columnist for the Detroit Free Press and member of its digital transition team.
   

3. •Tony Dearing, former director of the Flint Journal and now content director of annarbor.com.
   

4. •Mike MacLaren, executive director of the Michigan Press Association.
   

Each of the panelists brought up some great points. One of my favorites was Mike MacLaren’s unique comparison of the music and newspaper industries. Ten years ago almost everyone purchased CDs from music stores like Harmony House or other smaller shops. Then, before we knew it services like Napster came along and--BAM!--record shops were closing their doors and purchasing music became a digital transaction.

The point is music is still being produced; the demand for it didn’t die with the digital revolution. Similarly, the need for news is still there and always will be. The challenge now is for newspapers to figure out how to successfully reinvent themselves during this time of change. Despite the rather gloomy industry outlook, many journalists see opportunity in addition to challenge. As MacLaren so wonderfully stated, “I’m scared, but I’ve never had so much fun in my job.”

Another memorable moment was when Laura Varon Brown described what it would be like to walk into a car dealership and tell one of the sales associates, “I want that car for free.” Her question brought up the debate of newspapers charging for online content. Some may see her comparison as a stretch, but when it comes down to it, there has to be a way for the Internet to be mutually beneficial for both readers and reporters.

For example, Freep’s new Electronic Edition [free-trial available until this Thursday] will be “very different” from freep.com and will give users more information and options. I played around a bit on the new site and have to say, its probably something I would be willing to pay for.

But Tony Dearing brought up a good point--what works for one paper isn’t necessarily going to work for another. There is not going to be one correct model. As Dearing pointed out, many people mistakenly consider newspapers, not the news itself, the core product of the industry.

What are your thoughts about the future of newspapers?Which online publications are you willing to pay for, if any?