Close to Home

One of the other events that led to the creation of this blog was this article that appeared in The Lantern, Ohio State's student newspaper, this past Wednesday. The article, that announced that The Lantern would no longer be printed on Fridays, comes shortly after a hot debate in my economics class over exactly how much longer newspapers had to survive. My guesses were much sooner than anyone else's- I tend to think maybe 5, maybe 10 years at most for print copies of papers to be generally viewed as a novelty. They won't disappear completely of course: there are plenty of antiquated technologies we keep around for nostalgia's sake; but every day I see us getting ever closer to nearly totally digital news.

The Lantern to cut Friday print edition

Move further signals growing threat to print publications

By: Jim Coyne

Posted: 4/29/09

More than three years ago, The Lantern cut circulation from 28,000 to 15,000. Last summer the paper ended its print publication, and in fall 2009, the Friday print edition will be eliminated.

Ohio State is not the first university to do this. Syracuse, Minnesota, Alabama, Texas Christian and Utah cut their Friday editions to save money.

"Friday has always been a slow advertising day and slow distribution day because of the decreased activity on campus," said John Milliken, general manager of The Lantern. "The current economic conditions across the board are affecting all businesses."

The Web site will be redesigned and the Friday edition will be published online. There will be more multimedia with news and the navigation of the site will be made much simpler.

"There's an increased focus of online multimedia," Milliken said. "It is becoming the norm instead of the exception in the journalism industry."

To make up for the cut, administrators are considering special weekend editions of the newspaper to cover events such as graduation and home football games, said Tom O'Hara, adviser to The Lantern.

"The online product will have the same strength and value of a print edition," Milliken said.

An account-by-account analysis conducted by the business staff at the newspaper showed that Friday advertisement sales could comfortably shift to Thursday.

The Business Office for The Lantern is also undergoing change. Five new positions at the office were filled in the past few weeks and two more are being sought for fall.

"If you don't try something new, you're never going to grow," Milliken said. "A lot of what's going to be new in media is probably going to grow out of university environments."

During the upcoming summer, The Lantern's multimedia room is undergoing remodeling to better equip students with the technology used in online coverage.

Other recent changes include the incorporation of the Arts & Entertainment section into a weekly edition called btw.

"Students are finding a niche for it and we've had a steady advertisement growth since it started April 1," Milliken said.

Milliken has been the business manager of The Lantern since January and brings 30 years of experience in the newspaper business.

"The primary benefit is to give our students an opportunity for online publication to better prepare themselves for work in the news industry," Milliken said. "It helps us to concentrate on being a better news supplier for campus."

A girl in my economics class completely refused to believe or accept that newspapers might someday be obsolete. "I LIKE to hold a copy in my hands- and besides, what would students read before class?", she said. What will we read before class? Already laptops are a common occurrence in classrooms: not only that, but increasingly powerful cell phone/mobile web capabilities already have us doing everything from checking e-mail to updating blogs to reading the Times on our cells. As for the physicality of holding a copy in your hands... Well, I think the people have already spoken on this issue: they've decided convenience (i.e. up to the minute news and information at one's fingertips at all times via a cell phone) vs.... the unclear benefits of having a paper copy of the paper.

To be honest, I still don't know how I feel about this touchy subject. Why do you like to have a paper copy of a paper or a book? I love the look and feel of books, opening one and smelling the newness and excitement of the story to be told. I think a lot of people share this feeling, and I don't mean to suggest we burn all the books or completely cease to make them. But practically, maybe this is a love that is better left behind. Think of the environmental benefits of a world without paper, for example. Think of the space saved in your house, the junk drawers filled with documents and clippings you can't throw away. Think of how easy it is to back up and copy a digital file vs. the expense of a second book or paper.

Do you have a genuine argument for the book or paper? I would love to hear it- I don't mean to simply kick the medium while it's down.

An Excellent Intro

Here's a great webcomic from www.chainsawsuit.com, authored by Kris Straub, that does an excellent job of summarizing some of my feelings on the subject of the general feet-dragging that has been going on in the world of print.

Inaugural Post

For some time now, I've found myself watching and wondering as the inevitable march of technology outdates age old print institutions in our society. In a month, I will be the proud recipient of a Bachelor's Degree in English, and as a traditionally self-proclaimed bibliofile I've felt mixed as I see newspapers around the country shut down or reorganize, products like the Kindle (and others) move in on the paper-lovers' territory, and as I watch the internet grow in power and popularity among my peers. Until now.

I have decided to embrace this revolution: Gutenberg be damned, for your age is coming to a swift close. I have listened to my fellow students bemoan the loss of daily papers or books, and I no longer want to be a part of it. The internet has come, the internet is good, and whether you like it or not, change is here.

In this blog I intend to chart the increasingly rapid fall of print media, the rise of new and different methods of human expression and communication, and of course, provide my ever-insightful commentary. For the most part, I will argue that this transition is both good and necessary to keep the pace with modern (mostly American-centric, because that is the culture in which I live) life. Am I stabbing journalists and authors in the back? Damning our library system? I would say no. I am suggesting that instead of dragging ourselves into the future kicking and screaming, we embrace the changes and all the possibilities a new medium(s) can hold.