With excessive debt, declining revenue and shrinking circulation plaguing daily newspapers around the country, what exactly is the future of Maine’s newspapers?
That was the question posed to panelists on Monday, May 7 during a two-hour discussion sponsored by Vox Global, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and the Maine Press Association at the Holiday Inn by the Bay.
Panelists included Tom Bell, Portland Press Herald reporter and president of the Portland Newspaper Guild; Terry Carlisle, general manager of the Ellsworth American; Tony Ronzio, new media director for the Sun Media Group; Todd Benoit, director of news at the Bangor Daily News; and Bill Kuykendall, senior lecturer in new media and cooperating professor of communication and journalism at the University of Maine.
Mike Cuzzi, senior vice president and manager of VOX Global’s Portland office, moderated the discussion, which was attended by about 60 audience members. “Will newspapers go the way of the dinosaurs?” Cuzzi asked the panel.
One newspaper represented on the panel does not have to worry—at least for now—about excessive debt, declining revenue and shrinking circulation: the Portland Press Herald.
Hedge-fund billionaire S. Donald Sussman, a major benefactor of Democratic causes in Maine and husband to sitting U.S. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, recently purchased a 75-percent stake in MaineToday Media, which publishes the Portland Press Herald, Waterville Sentinel and Kennebec Journal.
When Cuzzi asked the panel whether new models of ownership and investment in newspapers would affect the independence of their reporting, Bell reached for his phone. “Let me quickly call Donald and see what he wants to say,” Bell said to laughter, holding his phone to his ear. “No reception on his private jet,” Bell said to more laughter as he put his phone away.
Bell said that while Sussman is politically active, he did not buy MaineToday Media for political reasons. “This is about saving jobs,” Bell said. Of the 400 employees in the company, only eight or so are involved with politics, he said.
Sussman does not want to influence coverage, according to Bell. “He does not want anything to do with editorials,” Bell said. “Since he bought the paper, he has shown that he will have absolutely no influence in the newsroom.”
While other daily newspapers in other parts of the country are facing excessive debt and shrinking revenue, Bell said the outlook for Maine’s papers is more hopeful. Other newspaper groups are often multi-state organizations that are publically traded, must answer to stockholders and have high levels of debt.
But MaineToday Media has already hired four reporters and plans to hire four more, Bell said, doubling the size of the reporting staff. Other newspapers might have to decide whether to hire reporters as a way to improve their news product, which could increase circulation and attract advertisers. But Bell said the “reason we’re hiring new reporters is not to make money.”
Referring to Sussman, Bell said “our new owner believes that democracy is being born in a vibrant and healthy newsroom. It’s what makes our company worth saving.”
Despite the image of newspapers failing around the country, Bell said that he has never seen Maine’s newspaper environment as competitive as it is today. He said Portland Press Herald staff regularly reads the Bangor Daily News and Sun Journal, and “we are now at a point where we can try to poach their reporters.”
One member of the audience asked Bell if MaineToday Media would work to balance the liberal slant of the paper or if the eight new reporters would simply continue to hammer out more of the company’s liberal ideology.
“Our job is to get balanced news,” Bell said. “That is our bread and butter, and we’re not going to give it up.”
Despite Sussman’s claims that he will stay out of the newsroom, Bell said that the billionaire is very interested in the business side of the media group and has been bringing in consultants from around the country for advice. “We need a financial wizard on our side,” he said.
Terry Carlisle of the Ellsworth American said her company publishes two weeklies, prints several more and has an online news site. She said weeklies are faring very well, even though revenue is flat, because they are often locally owned and have lower levels of debt. “Flat is the new up,” she said to laughter.
Since her company has no debt, Carlisle said the papers would definitely be here in 10 or 15 years. “If you don’t have any debt, and you have a good businessperson who owns the paper, you can publish forever in print,” she said. “The owners will be local, and they will be nimble and quick. Whatever model will be here in 10 to 15 years, we’ll be doing it.”
Tony Ronzio of Sun Media Group said that newspapers either have a local owner or an absentee owner, who often resides in another state. Absentee owners often read newspapers as “spreadsheets rather than broadsheets.” In the end, having a local owner is a better situation, Ronzio said.
The panel grappled with numerous questions about using “new media” technology to deliver their news product, including websites, iPad and mobile phone apps, videos, live streaming of events, readers’ comments and social media, such as Twitter and Facebook. Most of the panel discussion centered on the technology that will be used to deliver the newspapers’ content, rather than improving the quality of the actual content.
Todd Benoit of the Bangor Daily News said the biggest change from moving from print to online news is the process. He said it is important to be first to report the news, but the quality of the news must remain high. “It’s not enough just to be first,” he said. “The skill is only putting up what you know.”
When Senator Olympia Snowe announced her retirement, Benoit said the Portland Press Herald beat the Bangor Daily News with the news stories. But he said that two of the BDN’s bloggers, Amy Fried, a professor of political science, and Matt Gagnon, a Republican strategist, were providing their expertise online about the story.
Ronzio said scoops are measured in seconds these days. And within the new news ecosystem, “everybody can have their say,” he said. The organizations that are honest brokers of information, that maintain their credibility and that earn a reputation for being trustworthy will succeed. “It makes our historical role in society even more important,” he said.
Having news posted online as soon as possible allows the readers to contribute to the process, Benoit said. In one story about a propane-tank explosion, some readers asked what kind of valves were on the tanks. Benoit said the reporter probably would not have known to ask whether the valves played a part in the explosion.
Panelists were asked how to “monetize” social media involvement, such as capitalizing on readers’ comments or links to Facebook. “Why are we there?” Benoit asked about social media. “Because that’s where the readers are. We will go where the readers are.”
He said Facebook offers a valuable audience of 30-something women with decent incomes. With that knowledge, he said the paper could offer a certain online audience to certain advertisers.
Ronzio said that the local newspaper has traditionally been the most effective way to reach the local audience, but that has been eroding since 2005. Online news sites have taken readers from local dailies, and sites like Craigslist have taken classified-ad revenue from newspapers.
“We’re competing with Google and Facebook and daily-deal sites for advertising,” he said. And the newspapers are not going to get ad revenue from Walmart or Target, he noted.
But as advertising revenue migrates online, Ronzio said there is still “no better bang for your buck” for local advertisers than the local newspaper that has served the community for 100 years.
Getting readers to pay for online content is another challenge. Benoit said that the BDN has not yet found a successful model to do that. He noted that the New York Times spent a year and $25 million to find their model. “I don’t think we’ve found ours yet,” he said.
Bell said that going to a paid online model is like a game of chicken: which of Maine’s three biggest dailies will go first?
Given that young people are “digital natives” who are more interested in social media, Cuzzi asked the panel where newspapers would find good reporters in the coming years.
Bill Kuykendall, professor of communication and journalism at UMaine, said that newspapers need to send more journalists into the classroom to teach students about the principles, ethics and techniques of news gathering and reporting. College students today are highly advanced with social media and digital platforms, but they need someone to teach them the fundamentals of journalism.
By the time newspapers hit the stand its old news nowadays. The only thing they do is offer an editorial platform for the owners to spout rather conservative or liberal views. In Maine mostly all liberal with a spattering of someone on the right whom is considered radical for fodder for their bloggers. I have stopped reading the BDN because of the bias strain which the editorial staff lean all the way across the board including any investigating reporting they do which is not much. Thankfully we don’t have that if its in print its got to be true anymore I think most people look at all media with caution to the slant of the story which good and the reader with the internet can investigate on their own for validating news reports.
America’s news media is committing business suicide by being unable to stop themselves from pushing biased socialist/fascist propaganda for the Liberal Left. They have alienated almost half of the reading population because their political agenda which trumps their journalist integrity and ethics.
My thoughts are, Newspapers to stay active, need to be more focused on state news,local news, local sports, local articles for sale, and use the wall street front page for all the national and world news. The same ole, does not work any longer. Example , we went downtown and saw several new places that we did not know of. Another example what happen to Red Robin, Cracker Barrel & Costco coming to Bangor ? We just don’t get the follow up to the stories or enough good insight as to what is happening in our area. I saw a Miniature Horse Event at The Discovery Musuem last Saturday and the Newspaper never mentioned it. It was great and its sad that a lot more children were not made aware of this display. This is where Newspapers fail the community they serve and why folks are leaving for on line information.
A good newspaper is simply reporting news objectively and in a balanced manner. ………..Given this , I will read a newspaper again.
Just One Voice…………….
This was a very interesting meeting of the minds in the newspaper industry here in Maine. SunJounal, sponsored the event, and invited folks on line to ask questions of the panel. However, I don’t think, that during the
two-hour event, one question was put
to this group, from some of us watching, and listening. The session started around 10
o’clock, and all went pretty well until the feed was lost around 11:40 or so. Questions were finally fielded from those in attendance around 11:10. One of the better questions posed, was from a George Smith, who asked about comments being posted on the newspapers on-line pages, by anonymous sources. And wondered by print editions required actually named authors. That was my written request also. I believe Todd Benoit didn’t respond to Smith’s question, but let others do so. Not to rehash this issue here, but the NEWS allows some pretty nasty comments, to be posted on their online version; however, one never gets their letter published in print unless it is verified. Whereas, the SunJournal, request each comment posted to be verified. That, of course, has pretty much put to bed the abusive comments posted. However, the BDN continues to allow such comments, with little concern
apparently.
Meanwhile, I don’t think anybody, that posted a question to the anchor, had their questions posed for this group. Only so much bantering discussion among the hot-shots really captures the
audiences’ attention. They should have entertained more questions from those interested enough to follow along for two-hours.
http://www.ourstory.com/larrytdoughty/
The obviously biased news coverage by outlets such as the sussman news in portland, makes getting a balanced view on issues almost impossible. In regard Cuzzi’s laugh line of allegedly calling susssman for permission to speak, I would observe that many a truth has been said in jest.
The sussman group appears to believe that if you overstate a story long enough it becomes true. As Maine is force fed the approved liberal speaking points by sussman’s minions we lose the give and take of any meaningful discussion of the subject matter. Objectivity becomes a foreign concept in the sale of whatever must be crammed down the readers throats that particular day. For examples , look no further than the amoral campaign for sodomy marriage or the never ending support of our flawed and financially unsustainable welfare entitlement programs. No opposing positions are allowed. Lastly, when faced with readers opposed to the liberal agenda, the sussman group resorts to censoring both stories and reader views that are not in line with their lib-think mandate.
Is this the new journalism or just old propoganda with a facelift? Maine deserves better.
Hi!
Newspapers are fading into the landscape; it is a sign of the times.
I rarely purchase newspapers.
Thank you!
Lise from Maine
I suggest that even a liberal awkened at three AM and posed the question, “Is the print media corrupt ?”, they would accidently respond YES, YES ! Once aware of their slip of the lip they would add, “but it’s in my favor so I love it.
I would think that the key to significant readership in any print medium is interesting material framed by a competent delivery system. The PPH has long suffered from a dearth of proofreading (which promotes a patina of “sloppyness”) and a departure from simple, nonbiased reporting in content supposedly separated from the the Editorial and Commentary sections, exemplified by ignoring the traditional “5 W’s” of good reporting (Who, What, Where, When, Why). I would be enticed by a print newspaper that offered thorough, objective reporting without interjecion of the writer’s personal/ideological motif, but I suspect that journalism schools no longer teach that style. As for paying for an online service – nope.
You’ve got no shortage of chutzpah when you make a statement like this:
Referring to Sussman, Bell said “our new owner believes that democracy
is being born in a vibrant and healthy newsroom. It’s what makes our
company worth saving.”
I’ve worked in a high school library for 4 years. And in that time I’ve seen 6 kids pick up a newspaper to read it.
a bailout for Sussman, what do you people expect anyway….
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Is national power generation growing much faster than that of major power producers? Given that major power producers usually focus on regions with higher power demand and capacity growth, we expect they have higher generation growth rates than the national average. However, we note that the national average growth rate overtook some major power producers suddenly during global financial crisis and the current economic slowdown. We are unsure which (smaller) power producers could make up for the slower growth at the major power producers in these periods.
What is the future of Maine’s newspapers? | The Maine Wire
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