Mike Maisel

Newspapers 'Rightsizing'? More Like Frightsizing

What newspapers forgot is that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. What is happening now is the result of the papers burying their heads in the sand, as internet usage, functionality an content grew. This is the same thing they did when OCC started doing online employment ads, which later was purchased by the then Monsterboard and we know how that played out.

What's scary about this (frightsizing is a well-chosen phrase), is now they are messing with their core business -- journalism. It is what defines a newspaper and once that line becomes blurred (as more papers will become more like each other) they will put their core readership at risk.

I've often heard CEOs are working 1-3 fiscal years ahead of their company. Apparently newspaper CEOs didn't hear that, too.