How Long Can the Mainstream News Media Survive?

Surfing the internet the other day, I saw yet another headline about lower and lower ratings for the Cable News Network. I'm old enough to remember when CNN first came out, and the skeptical reaction it got from the general public. At the time, there were still tens of millions of homes in America which didn't have cable, and the days of satellite TV for the masses weren't even a concept yet. CNN was considered something of a novelty at the time, and most people thought it wouldn't last. But it thrived, and become one of the top news sources in the entire world. Now, though, it seems to be losing steam, and its future is in doubt.

CNN isn't alone, of course. The ratings for the evening news broadcasts of the three oldest TV networks are also on a steady, unrelenting decline. CBS had placed a lot of hope in Katie Couric to reverse this trend, but so far she's had no impact on the downward direction of ratings. The story is the same for ABC and NBC, too, as well as MSNBC. Except for commentary shows like those by Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly, which keep FOX News's rating up, there doesn't seem to be much of a market for TV news these days.

The situation is no better for newspapers, and in many cases, it's actually far worse. It's common knowledge that many people under the age of 30 have never bought a newspaper in their entire life; papers are increasingly seen as outdated and completely useless by the younger generation. By the time the paper comes out in the morning, they've read all the stories, commented on them, and emailed them to their friends. While the future for TV news looks bleak, the situation for newspapers looks dire.

This is a real shame in my opinion. I enjoy watching the evening news, and I've always loved sitting down in the morning with my paper and a cup of coffee. Unfortunately, unless there's a radical shift in tastes and habits of younger people, these habits will be obsolete in the not too distant future. I for one will be sad to see them go.

Frank Gilford is an online consultant for small businesses in Huntsville, Alabama, who enjoys writing in his spare time. If you enjoyed this article, you might also want check out some writing he's done about Huntsville roofing on Huntsvilleroofingexperts.com.

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