Local Experts Say Print Media Still Relevant

The future of traditional print media remains a lively debate topic. (Happily, Arkansas Business readers continue to help ensure its future, at least on Scott Street.)

Last month, we talked to three longtime local printers about the ways they’ve adapted to technology and the digital world (See Local Printers Adapt to Keep Up With Tech). They also shared their take on the future of traditional print media, the backbone on which their businesses were founded decades ago. Certainly, most traditional print journalists foresee a future, but what about the printers themselves? Skin-in-the-game aside, what’s their take?

Kevin Wilcox, Arkansas Graphics Inc., Little Rock: “While numbers for traditional, conventional print have stagnated or continue to fall ever so slightly, print will definitely be around for a long time. It is one of the greenest ways to reach people and has one of the highest ROIs. While digital media continues to grow, print still has relevance.”

Paul Strack, CustomXM, North Little Rock: “The same was asked about radio when television was introduced. And the same was asked about local radio when satellite radio was introduced. And the same is being asked about network and cable TV now that on-demand services are growing. So my short answer is no. (Or, at least, I don’t think so.) In the cases mentioned above, the medium that was to be replaced by the newer medium still exists. It has certainly changed, but it still exists.”

Mike Simpson, TCPrint Solutions, North Little Rock: “Traditional printing will remain relevant for many years. The new sheet-fed presses are designed for smaller run quantities, quicker make-ready times and faster run speeds.”

There you have it. By all means, continue to monitor your smartphones and tablets. But if local printers have their way, those who relish the feel of newsprint between their fingers will remain happy for years to come.

Captain’s Log, Supplemental

Longtime Arkansas newspaperman Roy Ockert Jr. is retiring his “Behind the News” column, having penned his last installment on Dec. 22. A former editor of the Jonesboro Sun, Ockert wrote the column for more than 40 years. Most recently, it appeared in the Sun and six other newspaper clients of the Arkansas News Bureau…Byron Tate, publisher of the Pine Bluff Commercial, has privately purchased the Sheridan Headlight from Melody Moorehouse. The Commercial is owned by GateHouse Media, based in Pittman, New York. Tate runs several other Arkansas weeklies for GateHouse.