Everything Old (School) is New Again

As one who has been around since the invention of the vacuum tube (Marconi and I were best buds, you know), I know every generation generates successive waves of popular prophesy regarding the demise of traditional TV, newspapers, print books, radio, and more.

Agreed, certain technologies get superseded over a few years (reel to reel, 4 track, 8 track cartridges, cassettes, CD, MP3…). Then again, just when you get dressed for the “dead tech” funeral, the dead keep coming back. For instance, from personal experience, I can tell you that vinyl records have been dead and buried for ages, but then every party DJ has a updated turntable. When someone releases a new book, people still buy it in paper form. Those same book authors are looking for publicity. Where do they go? yes, they swarm social media, but they still want to be featured on network TV, have a review in major newspapers, and do radio interviews. They know that’s where the largest traditional audience is still concentrated. And the research confirms it:

23% of Americans still read a paper copy of a daily newspaper.

55% still watch national TV news.

48% still listen to local radio.

24% are still watching cable.

Certainly those numbers are down overall, but think about it – should we dismiss any media platform that’s reaching 23% of the population? And how about the 55% still watching national TV? Especially as we watch a major global event like the Olympics, it’s easy see that traditional media still has enormous impact. And this group controls most of the money and much of the buying power.

There are so many more interesting statistics that I don’t even have space to include them all. For instance: even though 20-something’s aren’t supposed to remember anything about physical books, 87% of them still buy the print version of textbooks – even when the eBook is offered free. Even Millennials are starting to say they prefer print because it’s easier to follow stories – which may account for this year’s uptick in print sales over eBooks on Amazon.

Digital media is a significant part of the future – no question. But as I’ve said before, media platforms don’t go away – they just find a new level.

I’d love to know how many of you readers are still using traditional media alongside digital media. Do you know how to merge traditional media with new platforms? Contact Blue Sand Group today!

To Your Success…

Scott