Future media

About a week ago Bob Guccione, Jr. wrote an article in the Huffington Post predicting the future of media. Based on his experience he made four predictions.

The article writes:
1) Within two years, a major city daily will transform itself into a free paper. Home delivery will still require a paid subscription. The Sunday paper will continue to be sold and will morph into a hybrid of the best of a pleasurable Sunday-paper reading experience and a week-long events resource.

2) A cable channel will pass one or more of the Big Four broadcast networks in total viewership, chiefly because it makes better programs.

3) Google will lose significant market share, because viable competitors will create as good or better search engines and incentivize people to use them.

4) The Internet will not consume print, because it's not strong enough, it's not better, and it's too busy consuming itself.


I think the way technology is blending with traditional media there is a chance of dailies becoming free. The print media especially newspapers are extremely challenged by the new media. News on the go is becoming an increasing part of our lives. We no longer have to wait for the morning newspaper.

The print media is left with two choices – reform or downsize. Like Guccione mentioned at the end of the article, “The amount of choice will greatly raise the bar of quality and performance for competing media.”

About the Internet not consuming print, I think experts and researchers are still trying to figure out whether new media depends on traditional media or the other way round. But there seems to be a fair amount of control by bloggers making an uninhibited and free platform for themselves. Yet people like me who still believe and follow traditional media, will continue to subscribe. But I can't speak for millions.

Internet is experiencing and continues to go through a constant state of change and innovation. There is a strong likelihood of Google being replaced by bigger and better competitors. But competitors will need powerful tools to allure people because some habits are hard to break. And we have been googling away for years now.