tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931942690068259127.post2158410817221832853..comments2024-01-12T07:25:33.861-08:00Comments on Bakersfield Observed: The new job guarantee: there isn't one. Why even the strongest brands must evolve or dieRichardBeenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12542559942096218256noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931942690068259127.post-68149454760236685742009-06-23T23:14:12.968-07:002009-06-23T23:14:12.968-07:00Newspapers have to change and become a different a...Newspapers have to change and become a different animal, but you do not articulate what that animal will be. Perhaps you do not have any idea yourself. Change to what? Do what ever is necessary? So far, the changes made in the Californian have meant reduced content and poorer coverage of the city. Maybe the WSJ has been partially successful at remaking itself with paid premium on-line content (I just paid $103 for an on-line subscription). But when the Trib chain and the NYT and other biggies haven't figured out what the newspaper of the future will be, tea leaves or not, it's unfair to criticize a small newspaper's ability to lead the way to the future. I sincerely wish you all the best success in your efforts; you have the challenge of a lifetime on your hands.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931942690068259127.post-91892508655819447892009-06-23T19:59:10.466-07:002009-06-23T19:59:10.466-07:00There are no tea leaves here and - pardon me here ...There are no tea leaves here and - pardon me here - but I find your query a tad simplistic. If you believe the mass media (newspapers, local and network TV, radio, wire services, syndicated news, cable news channels, direct mail etc) cannot thrive and continue to grow long-term - as I do - then it would be suicidal not to take radical steps to reinvent the model. There are many cases of companies "destroying" themselves and emerging as different, viable enterprises. IBM, Intel and Kodak are among big brands that destroyed existing product lines to survive (much as the car companies are doing today). Nostalgia is a strong emotion, but it doesn't pay the bills. So the quick answer is: yes, we are prepared to do whatever is necessary. The paper will survive, but it inevitably be a different animal than it is today.Richard Beenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07060780209563484710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931942690068259127.post-69653335117094908472009-06-23T18:32:23.152-07:002009-06-23T18:32:23.152-07:00I'm trying to read the tea leaves here. Are yo...I'm trying to read the tea leaves here. Are you telling the reader that the Bakersfield Californian is going the way of the Singer sewing machine? Are you planning to take Godin's advice and destroy the paper?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com