Catholic Media Journal

During the past three weeks we’ve seen that many commercial newspapers in major cities stop printing, with many more announcing cutbacks in the number days they’ll print their paper, hoping readers will turn to their websites. More announcements like these are expected.

Magazines are also cutting back their frequency of printing. A newsweekly I’ve read for years went to a biweekly print schedule, then monthly in less than a year.

Most commercial newspapers and magazines rely on advertising sales for most or all of their income. As readership has dropped, advertising sales have dropped, often significantly. And lately, even with circulation levels that were viable a few years ago, advertising sales have been sinking faster, often because of the economy.

How are Catholic print publications faring? The economics may often be different because of diocesan support for their Catholic newspaper, for example, resulting in somewhat less dependency on advertising sales. But few Catholic publications are immune from the financial problems we’re experiencing today.

If you’re involved in Catholic journalism, what are you seeing and experiencing regarding your newspapers and magazines? How do you expect Catholic news to reach your audience next year, 5 years from now?

As a reader of Catholic publications, are you seeing changes in these publications? And are you changing the way you get Catholic news?

Let us know what you’re experiencing. You can write a comment here, leave a voicemail at our comment line (1-740-314-1830), or send me a message on Twitter: I’m @iJimCoyle.

Jim Coyle