Speaking of newspapers, pretty big shakeup in the smaller Michigan markets this week, kind of illustrates where a lot of places are headed (some of them sooner rather than later).
Ann Arbor News goes online only starting in July, two small printed editions each week but just recapping the online content. Same owner reduces three papers -
Flint Journal,
Bay City Times, and
Saginaw News - from 7 days a week to 3 days a week with combined staff starting in June. Consolidation of staff on four other papers - in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, and Jackson - also continues, with most of the experienced reporting staff in G.R. already out the door.
Among the notable tidbits in all this was the naming of the new boss for the Ann Arbor online startup, the former chief marketing officer for jointly owned
Cleveland Plain Dealer. What seemed less than encouraging about that is the the
CPD is one of the papers cited by industry watchers as a likely candidate to reduce print editions or even go online altogether by years end. In other words, the new boss ain't exactly been setting the woods on fire in his previous job.
And of course starting Monday, the
Detroit News and
Detroit Free Press reduce their home delivery to 3 days per week, with small editions routing readers to their website available the other four days.
Media Life Magazine - Ann Arbor News going online-only