In his 2004 book “The Vanishing Newspaper: Saving Journalism in the Information Age,” Philip Meyer imagined “the final stages†of how a newspaper owner who wanted to exit the business but didn’t want to actually sell the title could get his money out of his investment.
According to Meyer, the owner would start charging more for his newspaper and delivering less. This slow liquidation would not be immediately apparent to observers,because the asset “being converted to cash†would be the newspaper’s standing in the community and the habit of advertisers and subscribers of giving it money–its goodwill.
Next would come the selling off of assets and outsourcing on different functions.
I think it’s fair to say the editorial content of the News Journal of 2012 is less than the reporting of 2002–fewer pages and shorter stories. The paper no longer lays out its pages, designs the ads or prints its paper locally. Its building and adjacent parking lot are up for sale.
Meyer may have described the News Journal. Read more.
