Newspapers are dying.
My personal prediction is newspapers will pretty much be gone in 10 years.
Vanishing Newspapers: The United States has lost almost 1,800 papers since 2004, including more than 60 dailies and 1,700 weeklies.
* The Washington Post’s circulation on weekdays is down by 71.5% from 2004.
* The weekday New York Times circulation has dropped by 79.7% since 2013.
* Due to the poor state of newspaper circulation, 1 in 5 papers has shut down in the last 15 years
* All major US newspapers will see their advertising revenue cut in half by 2024.
According to industry predictions, the newspaper advertising revenue will continue to decrease dramatically over the next few years. By these predictions, it will be cut in half
weekday print circulation decreased from 63.3 million copies in 1984 to 28.5 million in 2018
Newspaper revenues declined dramatically between 2008 and 2018. Advertising revenue fell from $37.8 billion in 2008 to $14.3 billion in 2018, a 62% decline.
In 2020, the circulation (print and digital) of weekday newspapers was 24.3 million and for Sunday newspapers it was 25.8 million, both a year-over-year decline of 6%. In contrast, in 1990, the weekday newspaper circulation was 63.2 million and for Sunday newspapers it was 62.6 million. Since then, circulation has been steadily dropping, reaching an all-time low in 2020.
Based on the way the Bellingham Herald is going the only reason their big building is still there is because it houses other business offices. The Herald itself moved out years ago. Their main office is tiny and in a mall.
I enjoyed the hard copy print version, especially back in the day when reading the Sunday edition got ink on your fingers. Television, radio, and the free online news options will suffice. Time marches on.
This is sad for me to see. When I started working at KTNT in Tacoma 40 years ago, my paycheck came from Tribune Publishing Co. At that time they not only owned the Tacoma News Tribune and an AM station, but also Channel 11 TV, Cable TV Puget Sound, KNBQ-FM, and Radio Page of Tacoma. Today the paper is printed out of town with most remaining subscribers reading it online, AM 1400 is in Silverdale, CW 11 is owned by CBS, Cable TV was swallowed whole by Comcast, 97.3 is KIRO-FM (but still licensed to Tacoma) and pagers have been replaced by smartphones. My son Joe worked 8+ years in the News Tribune building and a number of friends worked there too. Now, what once was a goldmine is trying to survive.
November 4, 2021 at QZVX
Steven Smith says:
Since I know you spent your working life in the newspaper business your comment carries weight.
November 4, 2021 at QZVX
mavis gold says:
Newspapers are dying.
My personal prediction is newspapers will pretty much be gone in 10 years.
Vanishing Newspapers: The United States has lost almost 1,800 papers since 2004, including more than 60 dailies and 1,700 weeklies.
* The Washington Post’s circulation on weekdays is down by 71.5% from 2004.
* The weekday New York Times circulation has dropped by 79.7% since 2013.
* Due to the poor state of newspaper circulation, 1 in 5 papers has shut down in the last 15 years
* All major US newspapers will see their advertising revenue cut in half by 2024.
According to industry predictions, the newspaper advertising revenue will continue to decrease dramatically over the next few years. By these predictions, it will be cut in half
weekday print circulation decreased from 63.3 million copies in 1984 to 28.5 million in 2018
Newspaper revenues declined dramatically between 2008 and 2018. Advertising revenue fell from $37.8 billion in 2008 to $14.3 billion in 2018, a 62% decline.
In 2020, the circulation (print and digital) of weekday newspapers was 24.3 million and for Sunday newspapers it was 25.8 million, both a year-over-year decline of 6%. In contrast, in 1990, the weekday newspaper circulation was 63.2 million and for Sunday newspapers it was 62.6 million. Since then, circulation has been steadily dropping, reaching an all-time low in 2020.
November 4, 2021 at QZVX
Steven Smith says:
This particular mall is more professional offices..docs..dentists..real estate..restaurants..groceries. So it might hang in…but the Herald maybe not
November 2, 2021 at QZVX
Steven Smith says:
Based on the way the Bellingham Herald is going the only reason their big building is still there is because it houses other business offices. The Herald itself moved out years ago. Their main office is tiny and in a mall.
November 3, 2021 at QZVX
Jason Remington says:
It won’t be long and the mall will be demolished, as Amazon and home delivery replace the brick and mortar outlets.
November 2, 2021 at QZVX
mavis gold says:
Seattle Times.
State of the art production facility in a booming industry 30 years ago.
Gone.
https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nwnews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/4b/a4b8cb32-76e1-11eb-8087-13fc6e40f153/6036bc7b8395f.image.jpg?resize=700%2C526
https://youtu.be/4DEQIcY9NeA
November 2, 2021 at QZVX
Jason Remington says:
The Tacoma News Tribune will be leasing smaller offices in one of downtown Tacoma’s highrise business buildings.
November 2, 2021 at QZVX
mavis gold says:
Seattle Times
From four 128 page presses to one 48 page press at R.O.P.
http://rotaryoffsetpress.com/rotary/
Similar situation going to a smaller press for The Spokesman-Review (Spokane) (Sept. 3, 2020)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jul/05/rob-curley-investment-in-new-press-is-an-investmen/?amp-content=amp
many newspapers closing print plants and outsourcing
https://newsandtech.com/plant_closings/2021-closings/article_496da8ec-6d7c-11eb-ba26-b7874d837d1c.html
November 3, 2021 at QZVX
Jason Remington says:
I enjoyed the hard copy print version, especially back in the day when reading the Sunday edition got ink on your fingers. Television, radio, and the free online news options will suffice. Time marches on.
November 2, 2021 at QZVX
lonergan says:
This is sad for me to see. When I started working at KTNT in Tacoma 40 years ago, my paycheck came from Tribune Publishing Co. At that time they not only owned the Tacoma News Tribune and an AM station, but also Channel 11 TV, Cable TV Puget Sound, KNBQ-FM, and Radio Page of Tacoma. Today the paper is printed out of town with most remaining subscribers reading it online, AM 1400 is in Silverdale, CW 11 is owned by CBS, Cable TV was swallowed whole by Comcast, 97.3 is KIRO-FM (but still licensed to Tacoma) and pagers have been replaced by smartphones. My son Joe worked 8+ years in the News Tribune building and a number of friends worked there too. Now, what once was a goldmine is trying to survive.
November 2, 2021 at QZVX
Jason Remington says:
Yes. I recall that all of those businesses were under the Baker family umbrella of businesses.