The Capital Times Leads Wisconsin Journalism into 21st Century

Like most people, I was taken by surprise when The Capital Times announced that it was discontinuing publication of a daily newspaper and entering a new world - a world of on-line journalism and a two-day-a-week newspaper.

The surprise was that not in the demise of the daily newspaper. The surprise was the publishers and editors realizing that the future was on the Internet.

The die was cast a half a century ago when The Capital Times and the Wisconsin State Journal entered into a joint operating agreement to use the same press. In what appeared to be a stroke of good fortune and insight, The Capital Times won the right to publish in the afternoon.  The State Journal was 'stuck' with the morning.

In successive years, city after city, the newspapers folded. First the afternoon papers went under. Then cities with four dailies found themselves with one morning paper as television reduced the demand for competing newspapers.

For the past forty years Madison's afternoon newspaper was fighting a losing battle. Under the circumstances, it is amazing they hung in this long.

Then came the Internet.  There is an entire generation that has never read a newspaper but maybe a dozen times in their lives. But they get their news. They get it from the Internet and  television, which accelerated the demise of the dailies and is also feeling the impact.

This is a marvelous opportunity for Madison and The Capital Times. In the tradition of The Capital Times and the Progressive Magazine, there is an opportunity to not only present local news but also a continuous stream of analysis of critical state and national issues in a most timely manner.

Go for it.

Comments

[nonheroicvet]

The times they are a changin

[JB]

A marvelous opportunity? Maybe. But newspapers aren't making money on the Web; most are losing big time. How can the Cap Times maintain a large, quality staff given the economics of Web journalism? As someone who relied on the Cap Times in the late 60s/early 70s, I'm hopeful they can make it; as a journalist who is heavily involved in my publication's Web edition, I don't see how they can make it.

[newsfan]

The Capital Times company is in a unique position to try this ground-breaking experiment. Even if they did nothing at all, they'd continue to get half of Capital Newspapers' profits, which are considerable. Now they'll multiply their circulation manyfold for two weekly tabloids -- 80,000 via the State Journal home delivery plus free distribution at news racks all over Madison, like Isthmus.
And the Web site will be cutting edge, staffed almost around the clock seven days a week, with not just stories and commentary but video interviews, mini-documentaries, etc. This could compete with local TV news, maybe even offer a Madison variation of YouTube, who knows? Anything is possible -- it's all new territory, and it's very exciting.

[Hiawatha]

When I was a student in Madison many years ago,
I was disinterested in news ( and television in general )for quite some time.
I saw headlines about Nicaragua and the CIA, but never really knew anything at all.
Later I began purchasing either the Morning Wisconsin State Journal or the afternoon Capital Times.
My disinterest in television continued .... :)

The move is good for Madison Newspapers, the democratic pary, the republican party, and the people in general.
It allows people to connect on things that are otherwise hidden and either wrongfully, or ignorantly obscrured.

Try this link to a Green Bay Pres Gazette article from the UWGB chancellor for instance.
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080207/GPG0101/802070568/1207
And see the comments the article generated beginning here.
http://forums.greenbaypressgazette.com/viewtopic.php?t=32387

I'm very thankful UW Madison has UW hospitals and clinics.
I know from experience the thinking at UWGB admin is far less enlightened.
Blah Blah Blah .....
But, really people .