New Danish research emphasizes the trouble that newspapers are in. On behalf of the monthly business magazine Limited Edition (which published the results only in its latest print issue), Analyse Danmark asked 2800 people: If you could only access daily news through one type of media, which would you prefer to keep? Newspapers lost by a large margin.
Half of respondents preferred to keep their TV, and 27 percent would keep their Internet access. Only 23 percent would keep their daily newspaper (national, regional, niche, or tabloid).
Could it be that newspapers aren’t really necessary to most people? Could it be that something is fundamentally wrong with our understanding of the needs a newspaper is meant to fulfill?
Most newspaper managers have realized that the Web is hard to beat when it comes to breaking news. Pressing “publish” has its advantages compared to starting the printing press and waking up 3000 delivery people, if you want to get the news out in a rush. Consequently we’ve seen a slow trend towards newspapers trying to focus on delivering next-day in depth analysis. Which sort of makes sense.
…Until you read the responses to this survey question, which was published in Limited Edition: “Today it’s possible to stay informed without subscription to a daily paper:”
- Agree/mostly agree: 79 percent
- Disagree/mostly disagree: 16 percent
- Neither/don’t know: 5 percent
Most newspaper campaigns convey this essential message in some way: “You need the daily newspaper to stay informed.” Since news consumers no longer seem to accept that argument, I’d say newspapers should look for another unique selling point.
This survey also ranked a long list of newspapers and broadcast news programs (TV and radio) according to perceived trustworthiness. All the top spots were occupied by radio and TV news. (Web sites were not rated according to trustworthiness and relevance).
Danish newspapers face an almost unbelievable challenge. The daily circulation for most of them has been dropping steadily over the last decade. This survey indicates that news consumers prefer TV and the Web, while they also view broadcast news as more trustworthy and relevant. And only one in six believe they must subscribe to a daily newspaper to stay informed.
Faced with this “mission impossible,” my advice is: innovate, innovate, innovate.
