A senior executive from one of the largest newspaper publishing companies in the US had some forthright advice for delegates at the Associated Press Managing Editors (APME) meeting in Baltimore last Friday.
William Dean Singleton, vice-chairman and CEO of the Denver-based MediaNews Group, urged editors to concentrate on local news and use the internet to reach more readers. While admitting that circulation has been falling nationally, he emphasised that press remains an influential sector and 56 million newspapers are printed every day.
“More people still read the Sunday paper than watch the Super Bowl,” said Singleton. “Our readers rank high in income. Even with the decline, we are holding up better than most media.”
Singleton pointed out that newspapers have a unique appeal because of their relationship with the local community. He cited a recent report from the Media Management Center at Northwestern University which showed that readers prefer to see stories about “ordinary people” rather than politics, war or government.
Rather than seeing the web as a rival, Singleton claimed that newspapers should embrace the medium and use it together with other media, such as television and radio, to expand their reach.
“No one is in a bigger position to be the winner on the internet than a newspaper is,” he said, adding that when federal cross-ownership rules are reformed, newspapers should aim to create convergence models.
