“Newspaper Association of America” Items

The 2000 Outlook for Newspapers

Generated by AI, Edited by Human

As the new millennium approached, the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) published a broad industry forecast in Presstime magazine, capturing the hopes, hesitations, and strategic questions facing U.S. newspapers in the year 2000.

The article synthesizes insights from executives, editors, and advertising professionals, offering a layered view of a media industry at the threshold of digital disruption.

Digital: Emerging but Undefined

While online platforms were gaining traction, the newspaper industry was still uncertain about how to convert digital traffic into sustainable revenue. Optimism was tempered by hesitation, as leaders experimented with web publishing but lacked a unified digital strategy.

“We’re experimenting, learning, and listening. The answers are coming—but slowly.”

Ad Revenue Concerns

Executives voiced concerns about the future of classified and retail advertising, both of which were beginning to shift toward online platforms. Some predicted erosion; others were skeptical about the internet’s long-term viability as an ad medium.

Audience Attention Shifts

The report notes an increasing awareness that newspapers needed to better engage younger readers and tech-savvy consumers. Interactivity, personalization, and community engagement were emerging as key opportunities.

“The reader is in control now—and that’s not a bad thing.”

Internal Change Ahead

Leaders agreed that the industry’s evolution would demand cultural as well as technological adaptation. Success in the digital era would require new mindsets and leadership structures.

In retrospect, the Presstime 2000 Outlook reflects a moment of transition—when newspapers sensed the future approaching, but hadn’t yet grasped how rapidly or deeply it would reshape the entire media landscape.

Demographic Wake-Up Call for Newspapers, 2003

In a 2003 commentary published in the Newspaper Association of Amereica‘s Presstime magazine, demographics expert Peter Francese offers a sobering but forward-thinking look at the structural challenges facing newspapers. Delivered at the NAA Future of Newspapers Conference, the piece outlines how changing lifestyles, shifting work patterns, and demographic transformations have deeply disrupted traditional readership models. [Summary created by AI]

Francese argues that the real threat to newspapers is not just the Internet—but the failure to adapt to evolving consumer behavior. Fewer Americans are buying newspapers, especially among those under 45. Even older readers—historically the industry’s loyal base—are spending less time at home, traveling more, and increasingly relying on digital alternatives.

Compounding the issue are demographic shifts: cities are getting younger and more diverse, while suburbs age and fragment. Women, especially, are more professionally engaged than ever, leaving less time for shopping and local community involvement—factors that impact advertisers and newspaper engagement alike.

Francese doesn’t just diagnose the problem—he issues a call to action. Newspapers must invest in understanding their readers, rethink delivery models, and modernize how they connect with new generations. He warns against clinging to outdated one-size-fits-all publishing strategies and urges publishers to embrace consumer data and feedback more aggressively.

He closes by championing Newspaper In Education (NIE) programs as essential for introducing young people to the value of a trusted news source. Without strategic outreach and content tailored to changing lifestyles, newspapers risk losing not just a generation—but their entire place in the cultural fabric.

“We have met the enemy, sir, and he is us,” Francese quotes. The future of newspapers, he insists, depends on recognizing—and acting on—this truth.

Source: Published in Presstime Magazine, May 2003

Pagination: Implementation & Human Factors

One of my roles as Assistant Managing Editor of The Arizona Republic involved steering Phoenix Newspapers [PNI] into its next generation of pagination, the electronic design and production of newspaper pages.  In early March, 1993, the Newspaper Association of America held a Prespress Technology Symposium in Phoenix, AZ. I gave two speeches at that conference, one on how The Republic implemented its system.

If you were to create an adage about the installation of a pagination system it might go something like this:

Installing a pagination system is much like building a ship while already at sea – it is possible, but be prepared to get wet.

The second speech involved the human factors in pagination:

A design department using pagination can be one of two things:

  •  A creative department using a specialized electronic tool
  • A service or production department using new tools but following the direction of the paper’s editors

A design department using pagination can’t be both.

This is the fundamental linchpin of any discussion about the human factors of pagination. How to manage the people doing the work.