http://paulconley.blogspot.com/2007/03/end-game-for-newspaper-industry.html

Mark,

I agree that papers still stand as a viable source for news to most, and as a physical element they are more familiar to everyone. Not to mention the fact that I find newspapers are more personal to a community. Even if it’s a local blog online, its still in “international waters” so the paper really keeps that “home” feeling alive.

Rob,

I can’t agree more with your comment about the time lapse. Let’s face it, newspapers are OLD NEWS. When friends and family read the paper in the morning and tell me about something they’ve read, I think of how “yesterday” that was and how much has transpired since.

What ever happened to Xerox making that ePaper technology?…

1. The newspapers won’t go without a fight.
2. Nobody can say for sure where technology will lead us.

Scoble’s clarified his viewpoint and I personally agree with him. (disclaimer related to Mark’s previous post: I’m a techie who reads most of my news online).

That being said, I also love reading the newspaper when I can. I can’t specifically put my finger on it, but I find quietly absorbing the news about my local environment while sitting in a coffee shop very relaxing. I probably get my hands on a paper every couple of weeks or so… and I rarely pay for it.

As our youth grow older and technology matures (ie. screen refresh rates compare to actual paper, devices become thinner, etc.) I can see Scoble’s reality of newspapers fading in 20 years. They won’t be dead like Robert suggests, but I bet there won’t be enough full time readers and as a result advertisers to subsidize the cost of producing a physical product.

Their brands are strong with plenty of assets to leverage in this new environment of news reader’s behaviours. If they have the will, capability, and execution focus to deliver a new model in this different market, then they will survive. Still an unknown as to whether they will be successful.