“The Use of the Internet by America’s Newspapers,” a report released by the Bivings Report, shows that newspapers are “keeping up with the Joneses” of new media, to some degree. Things as foreign as podcasts and video content are commonplace on the top ten newspapers [as could be expected] as well as present to some degree on the bottom ten [a bit of a surprise.]
Newspapers, traditionally, are profitable in their decline. Printing presses have a long depreciation, and things can return a diminishing profit with a large enough margin to satisfy all involved. Despite what could be a comfortable exit, these newspapers have taken charge and adopted some of the more expensive / labor intensive outlets
to stay current with the consumption habits of the public.
It should be noted that this study only shows the presence of these things, not that they are particularly utilized or well-executed.
I would be interested to see a similar survey of public broadcasting stations, perhaps with that utilization / execution variable intact. Transmitters have a long life. Audience 2010 shows that public radio is in decline. A similar situation appears to exist for the public radio stations. Are stations doing as much as newspapers to engage listeners in other ways?