Oregonian cut-backs, changes, and ……
June 30, 2013I suspect that almost everyone hopes that those news publications that provide accurate, thoughtful reporting will continue to thrive in the digital age.
For those of us who live in Portland, Oregon, therefore, it has been difficult to watch the struggles of The Oregonian, long our leading newspaper. In June, The Oregonian announced that it is shifting to four-day-a-week home delivery. Personally, although I do, occasionally, prefer to read “hard copies,” mostly, I love having digital access and, for example, read only the digital versions of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
It is time for The Oregonian to enter the 21st century:
Most urgent: It is way past time for The Oregonian to require readers to pay for access to its on-line content. Much smaller communities figured this out long ago: e.g., the Medford Mail Tribune–a publication in less populous southern Oregon–for more than two years has required payment after a reader has clicked on 10 articles in one month.
People will pay for content that is valuable to them. The question now is: What content will The Oregonian decide to provide in order to attract readers?