Should newspapers become nonprofit?
This is an interesting proposition. When I was editor of the Lexington, Neb., newspaper, I figured out how to make it profitable inside of 12 months. However, dumbass publishers have yet to understand and implement the things that I did to float that boat.
So, yes, let's look at making small papers non-profits. Maybe they can actually make a difference in small communities. God knows the editorial staff at small papers already make salaries comparable to nonprofit employees anyway. I can't tell you how awful it was to ask freelancers to write stories and offer them less than $10 per story because my publisher was that tight with the finances.
I still contend that shifting the locus from sales to editorial will help the bottom line for papers. Boosting the editorial staff and the quality of their output will *always* lead to success on the advertising side.
"I don't so much mind that newspapers are dying — it's watching them commit suicide that pisses me off." ~ Molly Ivins
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090324/BREAKING/90324028?GID=Xt4rM%2FJrUDTS3UEKPB7JL4o6D5HJYRLUANQ447WA19Q%3D
