The selling of the Washington Post today stunned the journalism world, which followed by a few days the surprise selling of the Boston Globe. John Henry, Boston Red Sox owner, purchased the Boston Globe, and Amazon owner Jeff Bezos purchased the historical Post.
As stunning as this is, it should not be surprising. It’s another indication of the decline of news being printed on paper. There will be a time – mark my words – that newspapers will be gone. I don’t know when. But it is coming.
I have been on record in previous writings of this fact. Since losing the print edition of The Sports Paper, which I had partnered with the Kitsap Sun, turning it from a monthly into a weekly, I have gone online with it, which is where is should have been all along.
Admittedly, I may have been too quick to say newspapers will disappear. There are still older generations who like the feel of a newspaper in their hands while they have morning coffee. But the generations who are behind those of you who fit in the older generations do not have the same feeling. Mary and I have two young teenagers and they don’t read newspapers or magazines. Neither do our three thrown children, who fit in the 40-55-age bracket.
So newspapers will continue to lose revenue and their readership base will continue to decline until they all will have to close up shop and just be online. Most, if not all the major newspapers, are already online as they continue to make that transition.
With news being available online – and in a lot of different formats from regular news outlets to blogs, twitter, Facebook and other social network – it is inevitable that all the news that used to be fit to print will be digital.
Even though I’m cruising in on 50 years in the news business, I don’t feel sad to see this happening. The human race evolves every second of the day and this is just another evolution.
Chances are pretty good that I won’t be alive when the final newspaper bites the dust. I’m 107 going on 108 and you are guaranteed only so much time on this Earth and my time is running out.
But until my time comes to leave, this is will I will be – in front of the computer giving you some more news, some more opinions.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a good day.
You are loved.
