Quote:
Originally Posted by GA Russell
IMHO, if newspapers and magazines need to be saved, then the problem is the content, not the form.
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It's not the content.
The idea that the media is overwhelmingly liberal is a bit of a myth; don't forget that one of the biggest media moguls still around is Rupert Murdoch, who is a die-hard right-winger / Republican supporter. And I have my doubts that newspapers in Texas, for example, really swing hard to the left....
Regardless, newspapers are getting hit hard, regardless of political orientation. The problem is that readership is shifting from print to the Internet. Readers are reluctant to pay, and news sources can't make up the difference via ad revenue, especially as advertisers pull back due to recessionary pressures.
For example, the New York Times may be regarded as a liberal paper -- but it's published in an obviously liberal/Democratic region and is getting hit pretty hard. Their political positions haven't changed significantly, yet in 2008 ad revenues fell 13% and total revenues fell 8%.
Similarly, the NY Post generally leans to the right (it's owned by Murdoch) and circulation is down by at least 1/3 since its peak in 2007 (and it hit that peak largely by dropping its price from 50¢ to 25¢); so even if you believe that "New York is a liberal city" is largely a myth, its right-wing content is insufficient to increase its circulation, revenues and profits.