Is There Hope for Print Newspapers? Ask Mark Cuban!
A friend of ours recently admitted that come hell or high water, she will always keep her print newspaper subscription. Although her friends make fun of her “old-school” news gathering, she can’t imagine life without a hard copy newspaper every day.
At least one person agrees: Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and chairman of HDNet.
Yesterday, Cuban said that he believes there is hope for print media, and that publications will always have that core audience who refuse to click the mouse instead of turn the page. Obviously, this core audience will always exist, but is it large enough to keep the print media industry going?
One key to success is how print media continues to adjust to distribution of online content. Many publications are simply slapping subscriber fees onto their online content — but can that really work in the longrun with a Twitter society where free information reigns? Cuban agrees with this strategy, and says that print media should not give away their content because that’s what differentiates them. True, but we like the Hulu model, an advertising-driven concept that keeps content free for users.
Print media continues to evolve, but we don’t foresee a truly paperless media world anytime soon. And, as Cuban puts it: “you gotta have something in the bathroom!”
