Newspaper Execs Defend Business Model

Rather than humbly address their shortcomings, a panel of newspaper executives at Thursday's ANA Print Advertising Forum in New York bristled at the thought the newspaper business is under threat. When challenge with declining circulation, Tribune Media Net President David Murphy responded, "No one likes to lose a customer. But advertising is a bundle of value. Audience size is one part of that." The number of readers may be just a part of the model but without any readers, there's no model.

Oddly supporting Murphy's statement, Mediaedge:cia Managing Partner John Miller said circulation is more important to local advertisers than national advertisers saying, "Circulation isn't a decision maker." Again, even for national advertisers, the number of readers is of some significant importance and using a statement like this as an excuse is demonstrative of desperation.

Consultant Barry Parr has written an interesting collection of posts on his MediaSavvy weblog entitle, "Why Can't A Newspaper Be More Like A Blog." Well worth the read.