The State of the News Media: A Print vs. Digital Debate

We all know the media environment has been on a roller coaster ride over the last few years as print and “traditional media” have been fighting (and losing) the incursions of the Internet, iPod and an increasingly fragmented media environment. A new study from Pew Research sheds light on some of these trends and uncovers some interesting findings:

• Newspapers declined 6.4% in 2010
• Online news consumption surpassed print newspapers in ad revenue and audience for the first time in 2010
• For the first time in more than 12 years, the average audience of all three cable news channels declined
• Local TV revenue rose 17%
• Radio has remained stable
• Only 31% of Americans have heard of HD radio
• In 2010, auto advertising increased 77% in local TV, 22% in radio and 17% in magazines

Just today, in seeming response to the print/digital war, The New York Times announced its new online digital/mobile editions subscription policies: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/opinion/l18times.html?WT.mc_id=ED-SEM-E-GOOG-SEM-TXT-VAR-ROS-0311-NA&WT.mc_ev=click.

What’s your take on the print vs. digital debate? Do you subscribe to any paid editorial content? How do you consume your news?