Dropping stock table pages just a sign of the times

Posted by John Burke on March 2, 2006 at 3:39 PM

The Washington Post has picked up the story of Denver's Rocky Mountain News cutting its stock pages, which used to total 7.5, down to 1. Although some readers complained, the decision is saving the paper a substantial amount in printing costs, it has had "almost no measurable impact on circulation" and the paper's editor, John Temple attests that it's the direction that the newspaper industry is taking with stocks and all news being constantly updated online.

But not only is the 24-hour news cycle affecting newsrooms, says the Post. Convergence of online and print operations is shaking up the entire industry.

Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project told the Post, "If you used to think of yourself as a newspaper person, now you have to think of yourself as a newsperson whose work goes out over a variety of channels. We're moving away from a business model that's been a century in developing, and there are a lot of unknowns."

The Post also suggests that the rapidly growing Internet advertising market will eventually make up for the loss of print circulation and that it appears that consumers are more willing to pay for online content.

Rainie said, "When newspapers gave you the print version free online, readers were unwilling to pay for it. Now there's a layering of content that makes people recognize that certain kinds of material is worth paying for."

Source: Washington Post

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