Sunday Newscape Magazine

The demise of traditional print publications should be a good lesson on ignorance to those who don’t like change. Instead of listening to what readers want publications put themselves into a bubble and hope times will change to their liking.

Honestly; what publications are missing is just simple variety. They think they carry an abundance of it, but what they don’t realize, or fail to recognize is readers don’t like reading the same old thing marketed in different formats everyday. In other words, instead of empowering their readers, the story lines stay the same. Inundation of the same doom and gloom can only influence people who believe such a thing. The term, “If it Bleeds, it Leads” should be, “Report, Inspire, and Educate.”

Perhaps I am a little too optimistic, but I feel there is a light at the end of this revolving cycle of ignorance. Most important, there is hope if publications want to listen. That hope comes from two icons - Ann Landers and Dear Abby. These legendary columnists inspired and educated millions of readers each week about everyday people with everyday stories. In other words, they listened to the readers wants and needs by mastering the simple physiological form of relation. That powerful feeling people have towards each other can sell anything to anyone.

That same simple approach these legendary columnists’s did so well could bring a ray of hope to these institutions. Thousands of exceptional writers offer their work online everyday which proves that people want it and will look for it. Unfortunately, because of middlemen, unions, and the inability of people who run these companies to listen, the results speak for themselves.

My only wish is publications will get the message and realize that what they are doing is not working. Don’t blame the internet or economy, but yourselves if what you are presenting to the public is not selling. I know I’ve featured this subject a while back, but still we have papers and other areas in the business folding or taking drastic measures to hopefully survive.

The past several weeks I have sent out hundreds of e-mails and spoken to people in these companies with it all falling on deaf ears. I still have a few thousand more to go and all it takes is one person to listen and a new trend to follow. This industry could be saved, but it will take one publication at a time to do so.

© Jerry Maldonado-all rights reserved      This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it