Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/04/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The loss of readership and advertising revenue is nothing new to newspapers. Back in the early 90's when I was still working in Atlanta for the Daily News, A New York Times paper, it was far too common to hear of a paper somewhere closing. That was one of the first big waves of closings, at that time most two paper towns became one. I remember having a conversation in the photo department of how we all had friends in different cities who had lost jobs to closures and how we were happy to still have a job at a good paper...well in about a year we walked into work and found out we had been sold for assets and then closed.....One of the guys went to AP, one to the AJC, one to teach, and I went to UPI then to magazine work...the rest just got out of the biz....they were the smart ones. I can understand the need to make ends meet, that is something everyone, except governments, do. What my main gripe is how so many people are un-educated in how the business works and just give work away. I have not worked in the paper business since 1992 when our paper closed...I have no desire to work in it again. Newspapers can be great training ground for a photographer, you learn how to work under pressure, work fast and to deliver the goods come hell or high water, but it is also in many ways a thankless mistress. Too many times the desk editor picks the bad images, they crop your photo to death....but it was a great way to get started. Magazine photography was different, that is what I concentrated on for almost 10 years...now it also is going the way of the dodo. More and more "canned" art is used, more magazines are getting work from the mid-level to lower level shooters who have no problems signing a work for hire agreement, and there are things like WireImage who sell images at a level that is absurd. Basically now I just concentrate on higher end commercial work, and on the custom design printing business I started last year with a friend. Nathan Wajsman wrote: > That article talks about 2004. Even then, there is already mention of > a slowdown in readership and advertising revenue. > > Ted railed against "bean-counters". For once I must disagree with the > grand old man of this list. It is populist talk. Newspapers are not > charitable foundations. Like any other business, they need to generate > enough revenue to cover their costs and earn a return on capital for > their owners. If revenue is declining, and the decline is not just a > blip but a long-term trend, then they must cut costs to survive. It is > as simple as that. > > Nathan > -- Harrison McClary Harrison McClary Photography harrison@mcclary.net http://www.mcclary.net ImageStockSouth - Stock Photography http://www.imagestocksouth.com Tobacco Road: Personal Blog: http://www.mcclary.net/blog