Two Experiments

Here is an experiment underway to see if a newspaper can be revived.  Here is one where the new owner tried and failed.  it is too early to say the Washington Post will succeed but if it doesn’t, it might end up like the Orange County Register.  There are no guarantees in modern media.  Survivors in traditional media are likely to be few and national brands without circulation boundaries.  But, even The New York Times continues to struggle.  One can only hope that Bezos at the Post can see a way through to a viable path and the newspaper doesn’t become a long-term drain on his pocketbook.  If he is successful in building an economic model, it is not likely to be one for the rest of the industry.  This is a situation in which each newspaper will need to find its own way — or disappear.  PR practitioners are riding into the unknown along with the rest of the media.  There is only one thing for certain.  Our business like the media business is changed forever.