Quote:
Originally Posted by frahse
Only the specialty magazines will survive.
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The kind of magazines read by the Washington Post core constituency, such as Harper's, Atlantic, The Nation, and The New Republic, haven't been generally profitable and are mostly subsidized by their owners. They will survive because a few of their subscribers are likely rich enough, and care enough, to keep them afloat.
I can't believe Bezos is dumb enough to think that the Washington Post is a good investment. Donald Graham probably picked Bezos not just because the price was right, but also because he thought Bezos was a rich friend who would accept loses.
In the likely event that the newspaper business continues to decline, look for the best to turn non-profit. By keeping the Post separate from Amazon, Bezos keeps that option open. Bezos also keeps open the possibility of trying to run the paper's business side, but he has no experience in that area and has another job.
If I'm wrong, and Bezos tries to run the Washington Post like he does Amazon Publishing, he'll destroy the brand while gaining the enmity of the kind of people he likes to hobnob with. More likely he will send eastward a few ideas that don't quite work, and eventually help it to go non-profit.