By Robert Wheatley

New evidence of digital evolution

It’s official. The Internet has displaced newspapers as the leading source of national and international news, according to a new survey released by PEW Research. While television continues to retain the top rung as national news source for consumers, its share is eroding. In 2001, newspapers held a substantial lead over Web-based media, but that margin has been in steady decline. Today the Web is second only to TV as the go-to source for news.

And for consumers aged 18 to 29: “nearly six in ten American’s younger than 30 (59%) say they get most of the national and international news online.”

Forever and a day, newspapers have held a lofty place in the world of journalism as the owner of rich, substantive and comprehensive reporting. This bell-weather finding is symptomatic of an unstoppable surge to online engagement. The web’s ability to aggregate diverse news sources, provide notification instantly of topics consumers wish to follow, and present information in a seamless integration of text and video — all comprise the evidence of news source Darwinism at work. Digital media’s advantages are a force for change and the fittest truly will survive and prosper.

Implications…

Optimizing media mix strategies is vital — in light of the increasing proof that online engagement will gain ground, not just in terms of eyeball metrics but also in credibility as a respected and relied upon channel.

With TV numbers also showing displacement, the path is clear: over time the Internet may yet emerge as the number one consumer source for news. This may track with the development of wide band technology now in the early phases of rollout from Sprint. Connection speeds will surpass broadband and usher in a new era of high quality content available on virtually any platform, anywhere with all the interactivity and choice features the Internet already owns.

Our own firm is working tirelessly to stay ahead of this shift. W&T’s editorial media team, under the estimable leadership of Kerri Erb, has already moved to re-mix the media mix to place greater emphasis and priority on Web based outlets from traditional media brands as well as Blogs and social media platforms.

What percentage of your PR spend is directed to online? The ratios should be aligned with the changes in consumer behavior.

Evaluation of media placement ROI in the past often focused on the readership numbers delivered by major daily and suburban newspapers. The online world today is a different animal, more fragmented along special interest lines. So traditional views on measurement and results tracking will need to change, too. The Web is a vast shopping mall-like assortment of media properties and locations, where communities of people opt-in to get news and information relevant to their interests. This presents one of the highest quality target rich environments ever conceived. By definition, however, the paradigm shift is away from broadcasting to narrowcasting.

So what’s the next evolutionary shoe to drop in the media world? Thoughts anyone?