Print circulation of national newspapers can be revived, claims Leslie Norins, veteran publisher
NAPLES, Fla., March 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Better marketing of the unique advantages of their print format can reverse declining circulation of the print editions of the "Big Three" national newspapers — Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today — asserts Dr. Leslie Norins, an independent newsletter publisher with 40 years' experience. He is also a decades-long subscriber to the three newspapers.
His analysis and corrective prescription are presented on the independent website Analizir (www.Analizir.com).
Smartphones and digital media are convenient villains, he says, because blaming them has diverted publishers' attention from necessary updating of print edition marketing.
Dr. Norins believes reading the print edition of the Big Three marks a person as "substantial", whereas a smartphone viewer could be consulting gossip, games, or even porn. "Print is positive, smartphones are iffy," he says.
He says one unsung advantage of the print edition page is its "glorious" display size, 264 square inches, versus the 13 square inches of his iPhone screen. Thus, print's big page facilitates "serendipity", which occurs when the reader's peripheral vision unexpectedly notes nearby important, profitable articles on other subjects.
He says this can't happen with one-column phone text, which is also interrupted by photos and ads. And curated and algorithmized news feeds lead phone-dependent readers into ever-narrower knowledge ruts.
Dr. Norins rejects the conventional thinking that boomers and millennials shun the print editions of the Big Three. He counters, "They've never really been invited to subscribe!" He predicts, "These groups will respond to marketing," referencing marketing successes like athleisure, craft booze, even tattoos.
He prescribes ads quoting millennials who benefit from the print edition, plus hiring "influencers" to tout the special advantages of this format.
Dr. Norins also reports he found it difficult to find the Journal and Times on sale in Brooklyn, "in the backyard" of the Manhattan headquarters of the two papers.
Dr. Norins has over 40 years' publishing experience creating and growing over 80 subscriber-paid newsletters serving medical professionals. He received his AB from Johns Hopkins, his MD from Duke University Medical School, and his PhD from University of Melbourne, where he studied with Sir Macfarlane Burnet, Nobel Laureate.
Analizir is an independent website (www.Analizir.com), a unit of Medvostat, LLC. Dr. Norins is its founder and publisher.
SOURCE Dr. Leslie Norins
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