The data is great news for internetz lovers everywhere–but the bottom line is, there is inherently nothing great about this, and it is hardly news. A few points:

• I forget who it was that said it at a conference a few years back (earn A Media Circus points by providing this answer ) but, The New York Times does not think of itself as a Newspaper company; they are a media company
  • While I realize that NYT.com has not been able to make up for the lost newspaper revenue, we are still in a transition period.
  • How much do you think the New York Times positioning of, platform agnosticism has to do with this change?
    • (I am not speculating, I am really asking people’s opinions)

1. What do these numbers really tell us?
   1. Newspaper is dying
   2. The role of Newspaper is shifting
   3. People are becoming more eco-aware
   4. There is room for various types of media in our weekly consumption

I would say 2,3 and 4 are valid.

Newspaper will not go anywhere in my lifetime–I would bet the farm on that!

While this news is interesting, the real story is;

• people are changing, and so are their media habits
• we have more options than ever; let’s celebrate
• for some, it is still a cozy feeling to curl up on the couch with the Op-Ed section of the New York Times (print version)
• Media is Media is Media
  • that last point may be meaningless, but hey–it is New Years!

Everyone: Have a great New Years Eve! There are some serious changes coming to A Media Circus in q1 2009 so–stay tuned!

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