Heath: 'Postalgeddon' for community papers

Max Heath, postal expert for the National Newspaper Association, has a column laying out dire consequences for community newspapers under the Postal Service's consolidation plans.

Late in the column he mentions the push to get online paid PDF subscriptions counted for circulation.

Given that we've held several discussions during the past two AEJMC conventions where there were clearly those saying they won't touch the Web, this might be the thing that starts tipping the balance.

Interesting question: If the holdouts are forced online over something like this, even with a paid PDF for formerly outlying circulation, where's the tipping point where other subscribers start migrating?

Will print be dead by 2020?

Russell Viers contends much of print will be dead by 2020 - and he's making the argument aimed at community papers, not the big metros. Interesting debate at his blog with Kevin Slimp and others. Worth considering the graphs.

All paid up?

As community papers struggle to stay afloat, one media organization has an idea for its holdings. Thoughts?

http://paidcontent.org/article/419-medianews-group-adds-paywalls-to-23-more-newspapers/

Another daily goes online only

Another small daily, the 5,500-circulation Daily Telegram in Superior, Wis., is going pretty much online only -- with just two weekly print editions.

While many community newspapers are doing a lot better than their big-city counterparts, this is another reminder that the digital wave does not stop in the large markets, and we need to help small publishers, with their very different situations from large ones, adapt as well.

David Sullivan, an editor in Philadelphia and one of the smartest observers of the industry, suggests the Superior move is not as major as it sounds.