The Seattle Post-Intelligencer makes a bold move today. Today is the last day for the printed edition for the Hearst Corporation owned Seattle newspaper. Things are going to be drastically different around the Seattle PI. The editorial staff is downsizing from 150 to 20. A new sales force the size of the new editorial staff will hit the pavement selling advertising. All staff will write, take pictures, and produce media. This is the first time a print paper this size has made the move to a completely online format.
The shift in the business model comes at a strategic time in the print media. According to Steven Swartz of the Hearst Corporation, “The business model that we were operating on in print wasn’t working and hadn’t worked for years and was getting worse instead of better.” So they’ve taken the step towards innovation. The Seattle PI receives 1.8 million unique hits per month on their site. They’re looking towards creativity to bring them to profitability. I’m going to be following this ground breaking story. There’s much to be learned about the entrepreneurial spirit of the Seattle PI.
Is there application for ministry here? What do you think?
