by Bob Schmidt

Created on: February 13, 2007   Last Updated: April 19, 2007

The Internet is not a threat to newspapers, but it is competition. Before the days of computers, and cable TV, newspapers ruled the daytime news. The evening news belonged to the big three television networks. For several decades, a comfortable balance existed between the two. Now, the world of news reporting has been turned upside down, and some new parameters govern the news world of today.

Newspapers serve a market that does not exist for the Internet, the local market in each community across the country. It is the source of local news, and local advertisers are the source of newspaper revenues. As in all industries, there must be a revenue source for newspapers to survive. Since the Internet is not a reliable source for results of last
Apart from being only a source of news, newspapers are also a tradition that Americans are unlikely to abandon. The tradition of reading the morning newspaper over a good cup of coffee is not the same as drinking coffee while surfing the Internet. As creatures of habit, most of us will continue with familiar habits. Besides, it is tough to carry your PC under your arm when driving to the coffee shop to read the news, and work the crossword puzzle.

The large majority of confirmed newspaper readers will continue to support their traditional newspaper, but will also embrace the asset that the Internet represents to news junkies. Personally, I initiate many searches for additional information on articles that have caught my interest in the daily news. My appreciation for having additional sources is high, but I do not even look at the online version of the local newspaper. That is because I actually want to see local advertisements, and the local innocuous stories.

Fear over the ability of radio stations to withstand the assault of television over 50 years ago were similar. Obviously, radio survived. This competitive challenge being offered by the Internet will also be withstood by newspapers. Each will serve a market that finds them useful. No, Internet is not a threat to newspapers. It is an additional source of news for a market more than large enough to support it, as well.
it is another wonderful source of information for a public that

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