No Obsolescence in Media

by Elliot Schimel

Last week Barnes and Noble announced that they will be closing their location at Lincoln Center in New York City. It’s been one of my favorite places to write, cut class (when I was in high school) or peruse books while waiting for my movie to start at the Lowes (best theater in Manhattan). Mary Ellen Keating, a spokesperson for Barnes and Noble blamed the astronomical rent, but most blame the success of the e-reader which has caused in store book sales to plunge.

As many New Yorkers mourn the closing of their favorite Upper West Side bookstore, they forget the distress caused to them when they championed mom and pop bookstores that were put out of business due to the success of the mega-bookstore. Ironically, although they couldn’t withstand the megastore, mom and pop bookstores may be able to weather the e-reader storm. With less overhead and small personable staffs, these small stores could provide the personal, “in-store” experience that Barnes and Noble could never deliver to combat e-readers. Could the closing of the Lincoln Center Barnes and Noble lead to the reopening of these bookshops?

As the media landscape continues to evolve and death of print media is widely speculated, it is important to monitor and understand the evolution of media. Today, news publications have found that giving away their content free online has been detrimental to their business.

In January 2011, the New York Times plans to create a “paywall” (aka paid subscription service) for access to its web site. This decision was made amid news of their faltering circulation and website being flooded for free content…seems logical.

But if I have to pay to read the New York Times, I think I would prefer to get it in print.

Elliot Schimel is a Senior Account Manager at ABI marketing public relations. You can reach him at +1 212-529-2583 and eschimel@abipr.com.