I Miss My Morning Newspaper Routine Already

It doesn't happen until March, but I already miss my seven straight days of home newspaper delivery. As a public relations professional who has been closely following media trends for years, I’m deeply disappointed but not surprised by the decision to reduce home delivery of the Detroit News and Free Press. It's not just the home delivery, of course, the depth and diversity of content will surely be lightened as well.

I currently read the Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Oakland Press, Rochester Eccentric and Wall Street Journal - all through home delivery. I can read the papers from 6:20am to 7:30am each day, no problem; then I go online and read the New York Times, USA Today and Yahoo News. I definitely prefer paper to plasma (to quote Liz Cezat of Cezat Creative Communications.) I already spend most of my work day online; holding a newspaper is a treat, a tradition, a luxury - not work.

There's more to this story, though. The impact on local PR people like me who want to get their clients’ messages to the public will be real and deep. However, above all, we are information brokers who get good stories and legitimate trends to writers, reporters and producers, regardless of the medium. Our profession will survive, and even thrive if we continue to be creative in providing useful information to those in a position to share it with large or targeted audiences. Also, key to future success will be going back to the roots of good PR, which is as much about building trust and relationships in the business and local communities as it is about media coverage.

I'm not happy about the changes, but I'll accept them. And I'll meet some new people in the process, too. After all,aside from pitching great story ideas, meeting terrific people is the best part of public relations.