Wake Up! Waukesha
Jay, who has lived in the Waukesha area for over 20 years, is an active volunteer who has served on numerous local boards and committees. He's married to Colleen with three kids having gone through the Waukesha schools. He is the VP of a local distribution company.
I need a "printed" newspaper!
Tonight, a news story highlighted the challenges facing traditional newspapers across the Country. The Boston Globe, an old-line almost historical newspaper is in a bitter fight with its' ownership and unions, and it is ugly...
Declining ad revenue and on-line competition are usually listed as major contributors to the demise of local newspapers. Given the already declining ads prior to our current economic "challenges", the newspapers were already locked in a survivorship struggle. The problem compounds and accelerates when the economy nose-dives. And, suddenly, you can advertise free of charge your personal items and services via Craigslist.
Not a pretty sight...
But... Where does that leave me? Sure, I catch-up with quickie local news blurbs via WaukeshaNow and BrookfieldNow on-line. And bloggers add their thoughts on local issues. Nice to see the current weather. And if I have a pressing need for immediacy, I cue-up JSOnline and satisfy my needs.
But... I like opening a regular newspaper. I look forward to the comfortable feeling which comes from knowing where your favorites are; which section gets priority; and how many times I fold one open and pass on an article for others to read (without crowding around a computer screen). Don't most of us sometimes miss reading that day's paper and come back to the kitchen table the next morning where it rests awaiting a fresh reading? There is a subliminal feeling that you are "the first" to read the paper in your household which provides gives you a short-term conversational edge with them. And the walk to the mailbox early in the day helps me clear my head...
And... Who was with me when Nixon resigned? When the Brewers had that mind-bending 1982 Championship Season? When we invaded Iraq? When John Lennon was shot? When the Dahmer horrors unfolded daily? When the Soviet Union fell apart? During the Milwaukee riots and subsequent Groppi marches? When John Norquists's need for an "apple a day" was satisfied by Marilyn Figueroa?
One answer - My local newspaper!
But... Some will argue/rationalize, you can get whatever you need on-line. And if a superficial national scan on your Blackberry is what you want - Great! USA Today is one of three papers I read daily, and they occasionally bring depth to issues which probably would not get the same local media attention. But usually, unless a "Headline Story" pops, Wisconsin merits a single paragraph buried deep.
A simple summation - Without local ad revenue, there can be no local reporting. Talented, very real people (Yes - many reporters I have met are actually good, decent people) are losing their jobs as a result. Local union production teams continue with givebacks trying to help the papers survive. But the trend of local newspapers shutting down continues...
I truly hope a mystery source of revenue appears ensuring the survival of our local newspapers. And let's hope the answer for declining revenues, even in this economy, is right around the corner - before it's too late.
I need a "printed" newspaper - There is simply no substitute!
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