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« 主流報紙與華裔社區 | Steven Chiu 首頁 | 報紙的變與不變(下) » 報紙的變與不變(上)最新資料顯示，全國報紙持續近年的跌勢，去年9月至今年3月的銷量再跌2.1%；其中紐約時報跌1.9%，華盛頓郵報跌3.5%。北加州最大銷量的舊金山紀事報，跌2.9%，減至38萬6564份；周日版紀事報則跌3%，至43萬8006份。南加州銷量最大的洛杉磯時報，跌4.2%，至81萬5723份，但仍是全國第四大報紙(全國第一大是227萬份的今日美國報，第二是206萬份的華爾街日報，第三是112萬份的紐時；發行量23萬份的聖荷西水星報，在全國排第34名)。北加州15份主要報紙，銷量全面報跌，其中聖馬刁縣時報和屋崙論壇報分別下滑25.2%和18.1%。除了銷量下跌，廣告也在減少，報紙收入因而受到影響。紀事報今年頭4個月虧損2500萬元，今年全年估計虧損7500萬元；自赫斯特報業公司於2000年以6億元購入紀事報以來，至今已虧蝕了3億3000萬元。這種虧蝕情況使紀事報不得不裁員，兩年前裁去110名記者和編輯，本月18日再裁100名編輯部員工。在銷量下跌和廣告減少的壓力下，南北加州兩份最大的報紙都不得不持續裁員，洛杉磯時報兩年前裁退二百名編輯部員工，本月25日宣布再裁57名記者和編輯。因為虧損，洛時早在2000年已出售給芝加哥論壇報的母公司；兩個月前，該公司又因虧損而出售包括洛時在內的所有資產，以致洛時最大股東錢德勒家族，從此放棄長達120年的家族報業生意。銷量下跌、裁員、虧損等不利消息印證了一個已不新鮮的事實─報紙正逐漸萎縮。由紀事報內部傳出來的最新消息說，該報總編輯菲爾‧布朗史丹(莎朗史東前夫)在最近一次編輯部緊急會議中說：「報業已崩潰，沒有人知道如何應付；如有報紙說能夠應付，那是在說謊。」洛杉磯時報總編輯詹姆‧歐席亞在本月一份致員工的備忘錄中也說：「銷量下跌是無法避免的事，因為報紙注定難以匹敵快速成長的網路即時新聞。」處於網路時代的報紙，已不得不變。但是除了加設網路版新聞外，報紙其實真的像布朗史丹所說的那樣，沒有什麼好的應變辦法，而事實上，網路化已經成為報紙的希望所寄，因為新聞網站目前的廣告收入雖然有限，但讀者人數正不斷增加。「全國報紙協會」的最新資料顯示，新聞網站今年第一季的使用人數增加了5.3%。紀事報的SFGate網站，2006年每月平均使用人數就高達520萬人。由於報紙日漸萎縮，所以不少人說，報紙正走向式微和死亡。筆者認為，這種戲劇化的說法有點言過其實；因為萎縮雖是事實，但萎縮的速度卻不可能太快─報紙讀者的閱讀習慣至少需要一代人的時間，才會大幅改變，另外，報紙萎縮到最後，讀者數量雖然可能為網路新聞所超過，但相信仍有不少人選擇閱讀報紙。報紙不像黑白電視那樣的科技產品，會被更新的彩色電視科技所代替；數十年前，當電視出現時，也有人指小說會式微，但以文字為媒介的小說，至今仍擁有不可取代的地位。相信網路的人，對新聞網站會充滿信心，並且認為報紙可以毫無困難地順應網路時代的需要而轉變，從此一乾二淨地擺脫既有的平面形式。但是，網路化的轉變過程可能沒有想像中來得那麼容易；報紙的變形，相信還有很長的痛苦蛻變過程。(藝文隨筆，舊金山世界日報，6/1/2007)本網誌刊登之內容為作者個人自行提供上傳，不代表 World Journal 立場。
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留言
1. Great post! 2. Chron laid off so many reporters so that they now have less local news and replaced national news with AP write-ups. 3. I'm glad that I've visited your blog. I've read your other articles. I'd like what you wrote.
發表: SanFran | June 2, 2007 01:57 PM
No matter how much time I spent in reading "BLOG" , I still enjoy buying and reading newspaper. THIS IS THE HABIT-- the habit not that easy to give up.
If the "newspaper" finally will be eliminated, this is not because of the "Internet", the main reason may be --the younger generation do notlike reading anymore.
Steven, I enjoy reading your BLOG, very knowledgeable.
發表: Emily | June 3, 2007 02:41 AM
SanFran,
Thank you for visiting. There are still 400 newsroom jobs in Chronicle. To the management, this surely means room for further layoff. Thanks again for enjoying my writing. Your encouragement is infectious.
發表: s.c. | June 3, 2007 01:00 PM
My daughter use her notebook for recipes. I use recipes from newspaper food section that I saved weeks ago.
Her notebook won't last over one day without electric power and internet connection. But my printed newspaper "collection" is here in my kitchen for good.
This is the difference.
發表: roc1911 | June 4, 2007 09:33 PM
你文裏都沒有提到中文報紙的情況。世界日報還好罷！
發表: greg | June 4, 2007 11:04 PM
Greg,
對不起，遲了回信，因只有周末有空；遲是遲了些，但遲覆好過不覆。
此文只提英文報紙沒提中文報紙，是因為寫文時只有Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC)的英文報紙銷量，沒有中文報紙的資料。
關於中文報紙的一般情況，我已另寫一文「中文報紙與新聞網站」，請參考。至於世界日報，我不知情況，也沒有資料；不過，一般的觀察顯示，世界日報的讀者跟這份報紙有很深感情，讀報買報的習慣不易改變。
發表: SC | June 9, 2007 02:30 PM
roc1911,
Thank you for visiting my blog.
I usually print articles out from the web so that I can read them when I have time. Surely, your daughter can also "save" her recipes for next time to work on before losing connection. The scaring thing is that internet newspapers can have the function of printing newspapers. The "archives" of internet newspapers is always there, whenever you "google" it you can have it. I've found that finding information on the web is much easier than finding information from my old newspaper cuttings.
發表: SC | June 9, 2007 03:02 PM
there are many reasons as far as why "newspaper"...especially the so called "mainstream news paper" sales are dropping.
yes, internet is definitely one reason. however, i think the second and the most important reason is majority of these so called "mainstream newspapers" are representing the liberal left of the democrat party. and people are getting tired of reading them.
for example; do you people ever read about the accomplishments that our soldiers made in IRAQ? no, all you ever read about are how many soldiers and civilians died each day.
發表: necrophine | June 12, 2007 11:02 PM
necrophine,
1. Sorry, I wasn't aware your message.
2. The liberal thing is interesting. Polls indicate that the majority of media are liberal. And liberal media's way of covering news is certainly different from non-liberal media.
3. If newspapers can report more spirited stories of American soldiers, newspapers would certainly look much better and more diverse.
4. As for newspapers' dropping sales, I think, besides internet, the reading habit of young generations is fatal. They don't like to read news--neither news online nor news on the the hard copy.
發表: sc | June 29, 2007 10:19 AM