According to a recent article in PRWeek, The Associated Press could be on the decline with newspapers. The piece, entitled “Economy, Internet affect AP’s news role,” asserts the AP’s role is shrinking with newspapers as a result of “of plummeting advertising revenue and the public increasingly turning to the Internet for non-local news.”
Founded in 1846, the AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations. According to Wikipedia, its news is published and republished by more than 1,700 newspapers and more than 5,000 television and radio broadcasters. Furthermore the wire service operates an estimated 243 news bureaus and serves more than 120 countries.
Newspapers are facing intense pressure to reduce expenses as fierce competition with new mediums such as the Internet increases. And with an estimated subscription service fee to the AP running on average about $143,000 per newspaper, according to a report in Forbes, this is not an inconsequential expense for newsrooms. We can fully appreciate that newspapers looking to cut costs might consider dropping the wire service.
We hope that does not happen. We believe the AP plays an important role in supplementing the breadth and depth of coverage one finds in his or her local newspaper. Consider how challenging it would be for newspapers, such as The Seattle Times and the The Oregonian, to report on issues around the world without the support of this global newsgathering organization.
But in light of these developments, are there implications or opportunities for PR practitioners and their clients? Consider the following:
? Find out if your local newspaper subscribes to the wire service and assess how they’re using AP articles.
? Without the AP, newspapers may be forced to focus on local or community news which they can easily and more economically cover. This may present an opportunity for you to pitch a local news story, as there may be more free space in the paper for these stories.
? Some newspaper reporters may be more interested in access to exclusives – especially if you can offer them insight into national or international issues which they would not necessarily have access to and which are relevant to their readers.
? Consider putting your local newspaper reporters in touch with an expert who can share a unique perspective or analysis on national trends. If your local newspaper is not relying on the AP, it may provide you with an opportunity to provide commentary when a national story is breaking.
While it appears from recent news reports that only a small number of newspapers have actually left the AP, we found this article compelling and will continue to follow trends around newspapers’ reliance on this and other global wire services, and what that means for public relations.
If you would like to learn more about how this trend is affecting local newspapers, you might be interested in a recent story from KUOW News, our local NPR affiliate station. This story describes how Northwest newspapers are struggling to compete with the Internet in today’s economy.