The Shop Talk panelists discuss a change of heart by Newsweek magazine.
Newsweek late last year announced it would drop its print edition and move to an all-digital format beginning January 1, 2013. But now the Columbia Journalism Review reported Newsweek will bring back the print version.
The magazine hopes to get 100,000 subscriptions in its first year, which Shop Talk panelist Lisa Kernek pointed out is quite a drop-off from its heyday.
Kernek also said some journalists maintain print will never die, and the best way for legacy media to survive is by providing a hybrid of print and on-line offerings. She said it’s generally tough to make money with an on-line only product.
Panelist Jasmine Garcia concurred. She said the announcement from Newsweek is an indication that print is not dead. She said there will continue to be a lot of growing pains for the media industry as companies try to figure out the best ways to use digital media.
The panelists also talked about pay walls and subscription-only websites, which offer the possibility of making money. But both ideas are controversial because most people expect free access to on-line sites.
