First, Bryant, I did like your "I'm going fishing" post. One, because it was just flat our well written, and two, because the message is so simple, so basic, yet so few do it. "Find the worm that works for you. Keep throwing it out there, day after day after day." Consistency is the key. 

Jeff... thank you. Your series on Philly is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about when I said newspapers are constantly in search of content. Using Bryant's point, if they don't bite this time, they may bite the next. The key is to keep going fishing! 

William... thank you as well. Much appreciated. 

And, Jacqulyn and Geno, newspapers also make a cheap gift wrap. 

George, that's the point exactly. Advertising costs should be in line with results. At some point, and I'm not sure exactly when that was, an intersection was crossed that put the results way below the cost line. It's take a while for the market to notice, but it's irrefutable.

Allow me a quick story. 

I remember a presentation I made almost 9 years ago to Larry Beasley, who at the time was the Publisher at The LA Daily News. In it I told him they needed to make a strong move to cannibalize their print advertising and begin to create a compelling offering through a combination of web, local print services, media diversification and marketing consulting services aimed at local, small businesses. The meat of the presentation spoke to the power of the Newspaper Brand in the local marketplace and their ability to leverage that brand to create other meaningful vehicles for local business promotion. Vehicles that could prove their ROI and act as a catalyst for local business growth . Larry, who was a visionary, liked it a lot. And I think he could have been at the forefront of a major change in the newspaper industry.  But a few weeks later, Jack Kent Cooke, who owned the paper at the time, died. And with his death came a shift in energy, the sale of the LA Daily News and the departure of a visionary publisher who I still call friend. The newspaper industry has been lacking vision for some time now.

The LA Daily News, like every other major newspaper in America, rested on their laurels and fiddled while Craigslist and Google burned down their ivory tower. They refused to cannibalize themselves selectively. They could have eaten an arm or a leg. Instead, someone else came in and is eating away at their heart.

Ok, that was a little trip down memory lane. I made a lot of money off building newspaper classified advertising for a lot of years before I sold my last company over 7 years ago. But if I were starting that business over today, that avenue would not be there. 

Barry, thank you. "Methods of branding yourself outside of the traditional advertising space" is what will move the needle. This is specifically true as it relates to the "community foundation" you talk about. Newspapers, for all of their flaws, still remain one of the most trusted brands in most communities. For me, the key to strengthening your own value is to have a valuable partner laud you in a way that does not feel like advertising. That becomes an endorsement. 

Mitchell - nothing is universal, and I hope my comments are not taken to be a complete bashing of the value of newspapers. I do see value, as Barry and Bryant and others have described it. When you can take advantage of free publicity, yes, the newspaper is a great place to get it.