A newspaper is now a multimedia publication. You need to have video online, and you freakin’ better have an ad staff that believes in the principles of advertising in all delivery mediums.

What happens when you have to sell ads against your podcasts?

1. no one will seriously believe that other mediums “don’t work,” so it’s a ploy and everyone knows it’s a ploy, and

2. advertising is by definition external promotion – meaning, we the newspaper are putting ads on the radio because we’re not the radio, just like you the cereal company are putting ads in the newspaper because ads on your cereal box will only reach existing customers.

Evangelism – not because “print is best” but because of the role of the press in American democracy. Pure-play online journalism will eventually have the financial strength to take up this challenge but at the moment, only traditional media can afford to do the sort of “Journalism with a Capital J” that requires time, people, and money. And, for the moment, only traditional media have the resources to provide in-depth and comprehensive local news. (”for the moment” = watch the bottom lines of the hyperlocals – the market is swinging in their favor) That’s what newspapers need to talk about.

The challenge with getting newspapers to advertise is that it is often seen as an admission that other forms of advertising actually work. Newspaper sales reps spend lots of time telling clients that radio, tv, and outdoor don’t work, so to run bus ads might imply that – gasp! – they do work. The common refrain is “we’re our best source of promotion.” How’s that working out for us with declining readership? Yeah. Time for Plan B.