Will eBooks be the salvation for newspapers & magazines?

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by charleski

Inserts=ad $$. Many newspapers are still tied to their old ad model in which physical distribution is vital for ad sales, which is why they won't allow online-only subs. Online ads get priced differently and are not nearly as profitable.

They could send the ads only

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

IMHO, if newspapers and magazines need to be saved, then the problem is the content, not the form.

If that was the case then people wouldn't be visiting their online versions either and that simply isn't the case, the content is still in demand, the current format less so.

As a simple example (and I don't want to start an argument about this), a Gallup poll of a couple of months ago found that only ca. 22% of Americans consider themselves liberals, yet nearly all metro daily newspapers are liberal. This is not to pass judgment on the newspapers themselves - only to say that there are not enough liberals to keep them afloat. That won't change just because paper and fuel costs are eliminated.

Firstly, is it any wonder that not many people see themselves as liberal in the states after the idiotic way the term has been distorted and demonised by those on the right in america and as far as the media being mostly liberal thats an extremely dubious claim to make even with the way the term has been redefined in the states.

As I mention above with regards to online readers, if it was purely an issue of one ideology being unpopular then logically wouldn't it also mean that only newspapers in america would be suffering like this and it couldn't clearly be seen to be a global trend?

[ralegria]

Newspapers are death...because they don´t changue the business model...they don´t understand the new technology & people

[etienne66]

Originally Posted by Wetdogeared

More rumours of an apple table mentioned.

While there is a mention of the Apple tablet earlier in the article, the quote is about tablet computers in general. Personally, I doubt I would ever buy an Apple product. I wouldn't buy Microsoft products if I could get away with it, but some of the software I want to use isn't available for Linux.

Other than that I thought it was an interesting article. If they can make a tablet PC that is about a centimeter thick with a 10" display and a battery that lasts for several days, then I might even consider buying the Apple tablet if it is the best device out there. I don't think this is likely in the next couple of years, but we'll see.

Etienne66

[Wetdogeared]

Originally Posted by etienne66

While there is a mention of the Apple tablet earlier in the article, the quote is about tablet computers in general.

You're right. The quote was about tablets in general. Now that you've pointed it out there was no rumours of an Apple table (sic) at all.

[etienne66]

Originally Posted by Wetdogeared

You're right. The quote was about tablets in general. Now that you've pointed it out there was no rumours of an Apple table (sic) at all.

I wasn't trying to point that there was no rumour, just that the quote wasn't just about the Apple tablet. The following is what the article says about the Apple tablet.

Few products of recent years have achieved the mythical status of Apple’s rumoured Media Tablet or Slate - a full-colour, video-capable device that apparently resembles an iPod Touch with a 10.7-inch touchscreen, connected to the internet via 3G and/or Wi-Fi.

According to sources from the Sydney Morning Herald and a slip from an the New York Times, Apple has been demonstrating the device to prospective media partners around the globe.

If the Apple Tablet ever does launch, it won’t have the market to itself. ...

Etienne66

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by ralegria

Newspapers are death...because they don´t changue the business model...they don´t understand the new technology & people

Considering that newspapers have had online presences and reported on technology for years, it's pretty clear that "failure to change the business model" isn't the problem. Unless, of course, you agree with Murdoch that paywalls are a good idea.

The issue is that the news outlets cannot make enough money from online advertising to sustain their business. One of the key ways to cut costs is to slash the number of reporters, which means a deterioration of quality, especially with investigative reporting. In the long run, this doesn't look like a beneficial trend.

[JJoyce]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

Considering that newspapers have had online presences and reported on technology for years, it's pretty clear that "failure to change the business model" isn't the problem. Unless, of course, you agree with Murdoch that paywalls are a good idea.

The issue is that the news outlets cannot make enough money from online advertising to sustain their business. One of the key ways to cut costs is to slash the number of reporters, which means a deterioration of quality, especially with investigative reporting. In the long run, this doesn't look like a beneficial trend.

Having worked in print, it's not so much a failure to change a business model as it is that papers haven't been able to find an online model that can sustain operations.

Gathering news isn't cheap and people have become accustomed to the idea that everything's free online. I'm not sure putting everything behind paywalls is the answer, but it'll be interesting to see how it turns out.

But as to the original question, no e-readers certainly aren't the answer papers have been looking for. Amazon's attitude toward newspapers and their subscriptions on Kindle is the sole reason I will never own a Kindle regardless of how appealing or capable Amazon makes the device.

Demanding 70% of revenue and the right to set pricing for subscriptions is the height of arrogance. Amazon tried that with book publishers, they wouldn't have ebooks to sell.