NOVEMBER 4-10, 2015 UCW 9
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM
How much longer can The Fayetteville Observer hold out? It's a question on the
minds of a lot of long time local newspaper observers, no pun intended. Our pa-
per is the only surviving locally-owned daily in North Carolina. It claims to be the
largest independent newspaper in the state. It's been owned by the same family
for 80 years. We wonder whether the family is prepared to sell it if push comes
to shove. The Observer has a modern plant, but is likely carrying a lot of debt that
could inhibit its value.
It would be a shame to no longer be able to pick up a local paper each morn-
ing. All other major market papers in North Carolina are now owned by big
corporations. The two biggest, The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer
of Raleigh are McClatchy papers. The Greensboro News & Record and the Win-
ston-Salem Journal are Birkshire Hathaway properties. Asheville and Wilmington
papers are also corporate publications.
The Fayetteville Observer has a proud history. In the modern era, the Wil-
son, Yarborough and Broadwell families grew the paper to have the largest
circulation of any afternoon daily in the Carolinas. In the early 1990s, Charles
Broadwell, a grandson of Charles R. Wilson, was named editor. In 1997 the
newspaper began a $30 million press modernization project. The paper's his-
torian, Roy Parker, wrote that two years later it reclaimed its former name, The
Fayetteville Observer and its status as a morning daily. The Fayetteville Publish-
ing Company underwent further technological transformations, installing new
computerized production systems, and Broadwell became Publisher.
Unfortunately, what goes up must come down. And newspaper advertising rev-
enue is continuing to decline. Readership is, too. It's a generational thing. I will
miss the daily hard copy. But, young people have already transitioned to internet
media. The competition is fierce. Dozens of legitimate state and local print and
electronic media are available online.
To stave off what likely is the inevitable, the Observer has trimmed costs where
it could — as well as personnel. By my count, there are about 8 or 9 reporters
and 4 photographers still on staff. Of course the quality of the journalists deter-
mines the value of the newspaper.
I read the paper online now, but I still get the Sunday paper. I don't know why;
well, yes I do. I get a better price if I subscribe to the hard copy. These days, most
large publications charge for online access and that's understandable. But can a
one-of-a-kind locally-owned paper survive online without what's left of its hard
copy advertising revenue?
I hope so, but …
Newspapers: Staying Relevant
in a Changing Industry
by JEFF THOMPSON
Consumers have many options when it comes to getting the news. Are hardcopy
newspapers on their way out?
JEFF THOMPSON, Senior News Re-
porter. COMMENTS? news@upand-
comingweekly.com. 910.484.6200.
