Now that’s a novel idea. I wish I had thought of that.
Okay, I’m being just a little dramatic, but this is the essence of a presentation by Burl Osborne, former Dallas Morning News publisher and former chairman of the board of The Associated Press, at the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors’ annual convention. Here is what he said.
Now the consumers have taken charge — they decide what news is. Monopoly power vanished. The existence of a competitive marketplace is permanent. And we should have known and we should have anticipated that. Newspapers had been in a near-monopoly, assuming unprecedented amounts of debt and believing “the party would go on forever,” even with the arrival of the Internet. We didn’t accept the fact that the monopoly was gone. And even with the clouds upon us, the bubble continued to grow. And then all at once it burst.
I absolutely love the last comment Osborne makes, “And even with the clouds upon us, the bubble continued to grow. And then all at once it burst.” Quite simply, the newspaper industry and much of media has had a silent problem underway for years. Yes, it was a problem that was being avoided and neglected. And the reason the problem was being avoided was simple, “They felt like they could maintain and remain in control.” And when an individual, an industry or a nation tries to maintain control, they’ve created the environment for an “Icebox Silent Problem” to take shape. I state in my book Without Warning:
Mankind has an inherent desire to control its destiny, even to the point of self-annihilation at times.
And if you look at the newspaper industry, this is what they’ve done. They’re in trouble. The venerable New York Times is in the Red. The Tribune Companies is in bankruptcy. Few newspapers are healthy, and many will not survive. This post however is not about the newspaper industry, they’re simply an example. This is a post about how the search for “control” is problematic and why at times you need to avoid it. Because when you attempt to control your environment, “awareness” is compromised. And awareness is the one survival skill that you cannot afford to lose.
Yes, the consumer is in charge, and don’t forget it.
