In a column in today’s Columbian, editor Lou Brancaccio talks about how we take too much for granted, starting off by mentioning how as a Chicago resident he didn’t fully appreciate the ability to have a White Castle burger, an event much more difficult now that he lives in a White Castle-free environment.

He then transitions into discussing the changing scene of the journalism world, a world in which newspapers are straining to maintain staffing levels as new media challenges their delivery model (pun intended). He is quite honest, not to the point of begging, but when someone reads the news online, for free, “that ain’t payin’ the bills”. True, but Mr. Brancaccio, times are changing.

Originally newspapers were the source for news. Then television was invented, which changed the scene, and newspapers were no longer “breaking” the news. Newspapers adapted, and survived. Twenty-five years ago, cable television news began, and the journalism scene shifted. Local TV stations now had competition for the big stories. Instead of waiting until the evening to find out about world events, viewers could tune in to CNN at any hour of the day. TV news changed their focus in order to survive. They got local, and that remains their focus today. In the Portland area, we have Northwest Newschannel 8. We have KATU, the Spirit of the Northwest. We have FOX 12, with their slogan of First. Live. Local. Then the internet came along and changed the scene once again. Now folks can get “breaking” news instantly from around the corner or around the world. Local news websites, and more recently blogs, are competition for the local angle traditionally the staple of the newspaper. Times are changing.

In business, and in life, when you’re “not payin’ the bills” you need to adapt and change. Newspapers can remain a viable source for local news, but not in the fashion of the current Columbian. What needs to change? They need to do the internet. Not a second-thought website, updated hours later, but a real time, local news portal. I would have linked directly to Mr. Brancaccio’s column at the beginning of this post, but it’s not on their website yet. The site still shows last week’s column. According to their website, today’s news is Friday June 23rd. We’re almost halfway through Saturday. Times are changing. The website should change too.

I’m a practical guy, so here’s some practical things I’d like to see from The Columbian. Give me a local news RSS feed which is updated throughout the day. Even as a major Portland suburb, most Clark County news never makes the TV media unless someone is dead. Give me a Vancouver newsfeed I can subscribe to, that gets updated as the news occurs, not 18 hours later. Don’t bury your blogs in the bottom half of the homepage. Newspapers understand placing things “above the fold” and a newspaper that’ll survive in the internet age needs to realize blogs are part of that success. I wonder if anyone at The Columbian reads this blog? I know the Oregonian does… And since ultimately a newspaper is a business, let’s talk business. Put some context-related, local advertising in my local news. It’s fine with me. I’m a lot more likely to click on an ad for a local business than I am for a random name on the web.

If the status quo “ain’t payin’ the bills” Mr. Brancaccio, realize that times are changing.

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4. Can Northwest Portland support two newspapers?
5. Canceling My Dead Tree Subscription