Is this the tipping point for print?
The announcement by the Christian Science Monitor that it will discontinue its daily print operation, shifting to weekly print editions with an online-first focus marks the first major national daily newspaper to take the leap.
Newspapers continue to be beset by a brutal combination of declining subscriptions, loss of ad revenue, and an onerous production/distribution cost structure for printing and delivery of their core product. Gannett newspapers has announced an additional 10 percent reduction in staff at its community newspapers by year-end, after already eliminating 1000 jobs earlier in the year.
The economy is tough for everyone, inside and outside of journalism. Of greatest concern should be newspapers' continuing loss of audience. Subscriptions have fallen just under 5% in the past year.
We all know the audience is migrating online. Perhaps the CSM decision to take the leap to weekly and online-first is the only way to shed the burdensome production cost structure and survive in the new media world.
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