Future of the Detroit News

**Detroit500** · April-04-15, 12:07 PM

It is very likely that Media News will sell all of their assets besides the News to other buyers. I wonder if this means the end is near. What a shame. Gannett has truly run the Free Press utterly into the ground. The news has become overall the place with the stronger bench of reporters and columnists. I hope this comes not to pass. You can read more about it in Crains. Sub required I believe.

**Danny** · April-04-15, 01:01 PM

Internet killed the newspaper star.

**Midnight Rambler** · April-05-15, 05:42 PM

I too have wondered how much longer Detroit can remain a two newspaper town.

**Hermod** · April-06-15, 08:04 AM

I am addicted to reading the morning paper with my breakfast and coffee in the AM, but over the last few years, the morning papers [[not just in Detroit) offer much less intellectual nourishment and entertainment value than in days of yore when the paper hit your front porch with a satisfying thud.

**mtm49269** · April-07-15, 01:36 PM

We actually pay extra to get the 7-day delivery of the Freep because I still love hardcopy books and newspapers. I'm WAY behind because I've been too busy but I always have the paper with me when I leave me desk so that I can hide behind it we I don't want to be bothered.

**jlnascar** · April-07-15, 03:30 PM

Who wants to read yesterdays news, in todays instant society.

**sumas** · April-08-15, 03:27 AM

I do a lot of historical research. I love nostalgia. the papers of yore, tremendous.

Sound bites is all people want now via news [[paper) radio or TV.

**dtowncitylover** · April-08-15, 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by jlnascar

Who wants to read yesterdays news, in todays instant society.

While this is true, I think newspapers still have an important role in telling stories and doing investigations. These can't be done in 140 characters or less and broke ASAP on CNN. They are usually well thought out and meaningful pieces on society.

I could see Detroit becoming a one paper town but maybe the News become an digital only format. Which would be ironic since it's reading base is less likely to be on-line.

**emu steve** · April-08-15, 08:51 AM

Originally Posted by Hermod

I am addicted to reading the morning paper with my breakfast and coffee in the AM, but over the last few years, the morning papers [[not just in Detroit) offer much less intellectual nourishment and entertainment value than in days of yore when the paper hit your front porch with a satisfying thud.

Amen. I go to a hole in the wall restaurant and have coffee, breakfast, and TWO newspapers.

**Detroit500** · April-08-15, 10:45 AM

I think the JOA is the only reason why we have two, let's be honest.... Which then was destroyed when Gannett was able to swap which newspaper they own, and decided they could control 95% of the profits.

**Hypestyles** · April-08-15, 11:55 AM

what would be the going price? What kind of debt does the News have?Taking into account the News' traditional editorial slant, what "conservative" investment group would be interested? NewsCorp? Does Cox Media still own WJR?

**Ray1936** · April-08-15, 03:53 PM

Folks are going to miss the newspapers in the years to come. They'll never be able to find out details about family matters such as I have. Had this photo of dad in 1909 with two broken wrists in an old family album. Thanks to several sites who have digitized old newspapers, also found out what happened to him. [[Wichita, KS., "Eagle", August, 1909. Such searches will be severely limited in the years to come, I think.

**Jimaz** · April-08-15, 05:52 PM

Originally Posted by Ray1936

Folks are going to miss the newspapers in the years to come. They'll never be able to find out details about family matters such as I have. Had this photo of dad in 1909 with two broken wrists in an old family album. Thanks to several sites who have digitized old newspapers, also found out what happened to him. [[Wichita, KS., "Eagle", August, 1909. Such searches will be severely limited in the years to come, I think.

First off, that is one heck of a story. If "Master" Rudolph [[is that title still used today?) had died on the operating table, you wouldn't be here! My dad told a story of capsizing a sailboat in the Detroit River and almost drowning trying to save it. He was fond of telling us that we wouldn't be here if he had drowned that day.

I like both hardcopy and electronic media. But with the advent of projects like the Internet Archive, I would expect an improvement in electronic data preservation over newsprint archives. Newsprint decays like everything else. That's the physical world.

In the electronic world, there's a big archival advantage of digital over analog media. Every time analog data is copied, it's slightly degraded and that degradation is cumulative. Every time digital data is [[digitally) copied, it can be automatically refurbished to the original signal. That's perfect for archiving!

I've always been in awe of the fact that our DNA is itself stored and copied in digital form. That is profound. If some ancient life form ever existed that stored its DNA in analog form, well, that's probably why Darwin knocked it off!

**Smirnoff** · April-08-15, 06:07 PM

Stopped reading when they eliminated The Sunday Parade insert.....

**Ray1936** · April-08-15, 09:16 PM

Yeah, it is a good story, Jim. BTW, his name is highlighted because those words were used in the search engine. That one is not too bad, but some have the word[[s) highlighted in deep red, and when you print it out, it's nigh impossible to read.