I’m not convinced newspapers are ‘losing’ readers to blogs and the Internet per se as much as they have yet to understand how to adapt web technology to their advantage. For example, the blogosphere’s accommodation of disinformation and misinformation makes for a very risky proposition to ‘credible’ media outlets attempting to compete by sheer volume or speed of information delivered. Yet, a Washington Defender has the capacity to produce an in-depth profile, series or study far beyond that of an individual blogger with much more reliability. I see publishers of Af-Am newspapers redefining their roles (publishers become infomerchants) and their ways of doing business (’open’ submission policy, content diversification, licensing, etc.) in order to survive into the future.

Your questions raise an interesting point about the compromises inherent with commercial news.

As you also pointed out, the industry in general is seeing a decline in readership (not just Black newspapers). However how many times do you see mainstream papers like the LA or NY Times blasting potential advertisers because they choose not to advertise in their paper? If Black newspapers have as much “juice” in the community that Curry is claiming here, wouldn’t that be a BIGGER problem for the advertisers? Yes, strategy is something they should look at. This should also include a real-world look at Black newspapers that are barely turning a profit.

OTOH, there are two mitigating circumstances. One is there are now Af-Am owned ad agencies (Don Coleman, Spike DDB, etc.). Two, American newspaper readership is in decline throughout the country. Curiously, magazines are bucking the downward arcs of circulation and revenue sales experienced by newspapers. It’s evident the problems facing Af-Am owned newspapers and newspapers in general aren’t endemic to the entirety of print media.

While Black-owned newspapers are in desperate need of business models in step with today’s market realities, IMO the keys to their future success are in content and sales strategy rather than technology. An argument can be made the Black press isn’t losing ad dollars or viewers to the Internet — especially given Internet news outlets are ‘loss leaders’ subsidized by owners of print and other media corporations (e.g.; Black Planet). Also, most Black-owned newspapers already have web sites. Presuming the need for Black print media as bona fide, I’m not sure a merger between two or more papers (or with other media companies) would address the core challenges facing the industry.