I find it rather sad that newspapers are fighting their way into extinction. I grew up with several daily newspapers dropped at our door. Whenever we traveled, my Dad picked up the local newspaper. Perhaps as an aside, I should mention that my parents were journalists. My Dad said that journalist was a fancy word for reporter. He considered himself a reporter until the day he died at age 82, and on deadline.
Being the daughter of newspaper parents, I understand the lifeblood of the daily is the advertising, not the subscriber. The subscriber is the tool for the Advertising sales team to show numbers of interested readers. The meat and potatoes revenue stream for any print media is all about how many ads fit on a page. Today’s reader has the attention span of about 8 minutes. We fast forward through commercial TV and national news is served up on our computer with coffee in the morning or dinner at night.
What we want is local news. How did the high school football team do? What did the City Council decide? Is anybody doing anything about the homeless situation at the park? These burning questions are what make us open the newspaper, fight the ads and get to the meat of the story. Alas, newspapers don’t see it that way and have forced themselves into extinction by not focusing on what the subscriber wants but on the advertiser’s needs.
My monthly column, along with many other local writers, has recently been dropped from the daily paper. We were told that the paper’s new editorial policy is to use AP stories. If my Dad were alive, he would mourn the loss of another newspaper dinosaur gone to the newsprint bone yard.
My writing career began as a child. I was editor and publisher of the Duncan Family Daily News. The pages were filled with the stories that happened at our house and in the neighborhood. I wanted my Dad to be proud of me. I wanted to follow in his footsteps. If I could resurrect the Duncan Daily News I would share the stories that fill our lives with hope and humor. Here are today's headlines.
• Mrs Libby, still lives down the street at age 96. She recently fell and broke her hip, but reports that she is doing well and expects to limp along just fine.
• The Byrum dog, Beau, ran off this morning, only to return an hour later full of brambles in his tail. Although questioned extensively, he refused to comment.
• The Lllama Mamas on Vineyard Lane, have a llama named Bunny with a terrible cough. Apparently she munched on a sticker weed that caught in her throat. The vet was unable to remove it and suggested cough syrup.
• Henrietta, a Winedot hen, has developed rooster like characteristics, a rare scientific event. After three years as a productive member of the feminine feathered sisters, she now crows every morning, and is no longer laying eggs. She is reportedly, however, still a hen. Owners have decided to legally change her name to Henri.
Now that is news truly fit to print.
Images: Flickr image by Yaisog Bonegnasher