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Backed Into A Corner, Newspapers Come Out Swinging

  • USA Today, Wednesday, February 1, 2006 11 AM

"I don't think I've ever seen the sense of innovation and willingness to take risks that I'm seeing now," John Kimball, CMO of the Newspaper Association of America, tells USA Today media reporter David Lieberman.  What's left unsaid, of course, is that newspapers--never known for their boldness--are in the midst of a life-death battle, and that risk-taking at this point is essentially a survival tactic, especially for many smaller papers.  "Across the industry the message I pick up is, 'Oh my God.  It's slipping away. What can I do?’" says Stephen Gray, managing director of the Newspaper Next initiative, which is being spearheaded by the Newspaper Association.  So, what are papers doing as a react?  They're snapping up Web properties, producing podcasts, combining with broadcast services, and starting new publications.  "Media's sleeping giant is waking up," says USA Today's Lieberman.  His story cites plentiful specific examples of newspapers and newspaper groups across the country that have radically modified their business strategies in order find a home in the new marketplace.

 

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