CNN just reported that the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News will end daily home delivery starting in Quarter 1 of 2009.
It looks like the Detroit papers are going to focus on getting their news to readers when and where the readers want it. This is not a big surprise for people who work in New Media, and I would expect other major newspapers to follow Detroit's lead in the next two to five years.
I like their strategy of analyzing where and how their readers consume news and then adapting their strategy based on the information they collect. In my opinion, that is a much better strategy then setting up a circulation call center of telemarketers that begs people to subscribe to their newspaper. I have a family member in another market who still gets calls once or twice a month asking to subscribe...each time with a new one-time offer rate.
Here at WCCO, we are also exploring new ways of reaching our millions of viewers in new ways. The good news for television stations is that TV usage is at an all-time high(see table below). We will be able to take advantage of how well the TV and Web work together in order to continue serving our viewers with a great news product. As an advertiser, you will be able to utilize the changes we make to reach our viewers in new ways to reach your customers in new ways. Stay tuned in 2009 for more information on any product innovations as well as ideas on how we can help you reach your target consumers!
