Bad news for print, good news for hyperlocal
From the Inquisitr: Hyperlocal Websites will Boom in 2009 as Community Newspapers Fold
Community newspapers will fold in 2009 as owners are no longer able to turn a profit, or sustain losses any longer. The killer will be costs: even a small town newspaper could have a staff of 6 or 10 or more (usually more, but I’ve worked with papers in the past that often have 2 local reporters, with the rest of the paper filled by syndicated content from the company network). Millions a year to run, with no hope in sight of a turnaround in advertising fortunes. The model is dying. Some may switch to online only, a trend that will accelerate this year, but the bloat logic problem still remains: high overhead costs for reporters and editors in small markets.
This is where hyperlocal websites step in. Communities still want local news, and left without a community newspaper they will still seek that news elsewhere, and the internet is the place they’ll have to turn. Radio is often not local through networks like Clear Channel, and television news may offer some local news, but mostly news higher up the news scale (city, state, nation, world).
The article mentions several funding strategies, too.
Meanwhile, here are two new citizen journalism sites: The Ann Arbor Chronicle and Minority Report.
Hat tip: Chase.
