Andreessen, You’re Off the Mark
Marc Andreessen is a smart guy and his blog has become a must-read for its insight but his latest post on launching the New York Times Deathwatch is so off the mark, it’s a joke.
Yes, the New York Times - like many other newspapers - is struggling with lower circulation and advertising revenue but, come on, it’s not like the NYT is going to disappear so slapping a deathwatch label on it is silly.
If Andreessen wants to provide some insight, he’d be better off talking about the NYT’s efforts to go digital than a post rooted in a “Chicken-Little-the-sky-is-falling” approach.
Does the NYT have its strategic and business issues? Definitely.
Is it struggling to find its way in a digital world? Of course.
But will the NYT disappear amid these challenges? No, although it will no doubt be a different looking company.
Maybe Andreessen is frustrated with the NYT’s weak stock performance or its inability to come up with an effective online strategy but the NYT still has significant assets and a strong brand, which makes a deathwatch, at best, strange.
Technorati Tags: New York Times
February 3rd, 2008 at 11:34 am
Why am I reminded of apocalyptic predictions about the incumbent phone companies?
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
[...] in the way they are doing business, they will soon be out of business. I tend to agree with Mark Evans piece that the New York Times must change the way they do business or perhaps the deathwatch will [...]