Emerging Media:
The changing landscape in today's information gathering and distribution industry


In the not-too-distant past, the media field was fairly simple. Depending on your community/town/city, you might have a newspaper or two; a few radio stations, maybe a television station or more if you were in a larger city. Everyone got their news from one or more of these few sources. You may have heard a story on the radio and then read about it in the evening newspaper or the morning paper the next day.

When I started in the public relations industry in the mid 1980s, newspapers were still the place you wanted to get your clients placed. Television appearances were great, but getting the right sound bite on the air was more difficult. Newspapers allowed you the ability to create some type of context in order to position your client or company as an expert or industry leader.

Going after the major placement in the business section took a lot of work and preparation. Knowing the reporters and editors was a must. Keeping a steady stream of correspondence (news releases, new product announcements, management moves, etc.) in front of the right reporters was an art. Not too much to annoy, but enough to keep your clients' name on the short list of information sources when reporters wanted a comment or input from someone "in the industry."

But that was also a time when news releases were also mailed -- by the hundreds -- to an extensive media mailing list, painstakingly maintained by practitioners or support staff. Plain paper fax machines were just making their way into the mainstream and newspapers were hesitant to disclose the fax number that often served the entire newsroom. Email was not around. Cell phones were actually called "bag phones" and had to be lugged around like luggage, not like the slim little phones we have today.

The introduction of fax machines and later electronic mail (email) dramatically changed how newspapers interacted with their sources of information. Newspapers have adapted to changing technology all along. Putting their content online is another way newspapers have adapted to changing technology.

Even though its part of my chosen field, I rarely read those newspapers we receive. By the time I return home and actually have time to look at them (often while I'm watching the local evening news), I have already seen most of the stories they contain either on my computer, my iPhone or heard about the stories on the radio while I was driving.

Those days are gone.

Today, you might still hear about a breaking news story on the radio, but the radio might be streaming content via the internet through your computer, tablet (iPad, Kindle, etc.) or even your smartphone. Even more likely, you first heard about it from a coworker because of an alert they received on their smartphone for breaking news or a Twitter post they read during break. Depending on your access at the time, you may have immediately sought more information from a trusted news site on the internet using one of the previously mentioned devices.

At no point was there a scramble for the morning newspaper to learn more. In fact, the internet news source you used may not even be associated with a traditional newspaper or television network. Does this new method of spreading the news -- a faster, digitally based process -- signal the end of traditional media (newspapers, magazines, local television) or will traditional media merely transform itself in order to remain a relevant part of the information industry?

There has been a wide variety of articles discussing the ultimate demise of newspapers around the country; most troubling for the industry was the Pew research announcing that more Americans got the news online than from newspapers or radio stations. Even the University of Southern California's Annenberg Center for the Digital Future predicted in 2012 that only the very largest and very smallest newspapers would remain within five years.

Even though the decline of newspaper advertising revenues and overall readership reductions have been headline news and discussed at great length by scholars around the country, Sharon Meraz's study revealed that some powerhouse, elite media outlets remain the primary sources of information, even by  "independent," citizen bloggers.

While the end of traditional newspapers seems to be imminent, there remains growth in the "newspaper" field by switching to fewer published papers through the week, instead focusing energies on creating larger, more comprehensive digital content online. Thanks to the super coupon readers like my wife, Sunday circulation numbers for many newspaper are up. My wife receives four Sunday papers each week to collect coupons. As a part of that particular deal, we also get an actual newspaper but only Thursday through Sunday.

How do you receive your news? Do you check your favorite news sites on the internet throughout the day or rely on alerts sent to your smartphone to keep you up to date on your favorite sports teams, breaking local news or daily weather forecasts?

When was the last time you read a real news "paper," complete with ink smudges on your fingers when you finished?

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About the Author: David is a husband and proud father of a strapping 14 year-old son and twin 4 year-old daughters. He has 20 years of professional communication experience, working in the public relations field. He has worked for public relations firms, hospitals and a social service organization helping at-risk children and their families. He grew up on a Michigan blueberry farm, spent two years in Texas and now resides with his family outside Tampa, Florida. An avid reader and photographer, David also enjoys building rustic furniture using upcycled wooden pallets.