The newspaper business must evolve with the times

Ahh, the times they are a changin'. That saying could never be more true, especially in the newspaper business.

The task of bringing the news to the public has certainly seen a lot of changes since the days the first printing press cranked up to the first newspaper to post its stories on the worldwide Web.

As technology has evolved, so has the business of bringing our readers the news. It's changed considerably since I first walked into the office of my hometown newspaper the Tri-City Ledger in Flomaton, about 17 years ago, to apply for a temporary position setting copy.

Back then, computers were just becoming an intricate part of the operation. Although the Internet was not being utilized by the newspaper industry, the new electronic machines were beginning to make the process of producing an issue a little easier. Apple led the way, providing programming that allowed for the use of software could be used to type the copy into columns. Those columns of type were printed out and pasted onto large sheets, then photographed to produce negatives, which were used to burn the plates that were placed on the press to print the paper.

Of course, there was a lot of proofreading and adjusting that went on before the copy ever went to the camera room. We still utilize the expertise of proofreaders in an effort to reduce the errors that make it into print. No matter how advanced technology has become, we still need that human element. After all, it's humans that make the news.

As computers became more advanced and the popularity of the Internet increased, those of us in the newspaper industry realized we needed to evolve with it. In recent years, there has been a trend developing where more and more people are drinking their coffee in the morning and reading the news on a computer screen rather than walking outside and picking up that morning's or that week's paper. I am guilty of it myself.

Although I still enjoy sitting down and physically holding a copy of the paper, I, too utilize the Internet to read about local, state and world events. It has become a normal part of my morning routine.

With this trend by a large portion of the public to get their news online, the business must either evolve or slowly die. We have chosen to evolve. But, with change comes added costs.

There are costs in making sure our computers stay up-todate with the latest software, which allows us to produce the news in a timely fashion and get it to you when you expect it. As other newspapers have, we too have an online version of The South Alabamian, which many readers enjoy viewing on their computers. And, it costs us money to have provide that service as well.

As the popularity of online print media increases by leaps and bounds, the costs for services that put that information out there has gone up too. For awhile now we have been allowing our readers to access our online version for free each week, but we must now look at ways of making this service more cost-efficient. Therefore, we will begin to charge a subscription fee to view the entire paper online.

For those of you who scoff at the idea of charging to read the news online, there's still the issue we print on paper each week. I, personally, don't think the actual printed version will ever completely go out of style, because people like something they can hold in their hands. That's just part of being human. However, the entire version of the paper will be available online by the end of the following week.

We are entering a new phase in the newspaper industry and like it or not, that includes the Internet. We must find ways to offset the costs of providing this service and charging for online subscriptions and advertising is the current trend for doing so.

We enjoy bringing you the news each week and hope the public continues to enjoy reading about what is going on in the communities within our coverage area. As the need arises, we will expand the services we offer to make sure you get the most for your money.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to hearing from you when you have feedback to give us.

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