Hyper-Local?

Newspapers are hurting. Declining readership, shrinking ad sales.

The old hometown paper once had an almost monopolistic hold on information. But along came radio, TV, and the Net. You have options besides the dead tree format.

There’s this buzzword out there: “Hyper-local.” It’s on the list of strategies to keep a newspaper in business. One strength of a local paper is coverage of news and events in its area. Ergo, a paper should focus on what’s happening in its neighborhood. This will keep readers coming back and even attract new ones.

A good example of hyper-local is Seven Days, the weekly freebie from Vermont. Its listings of events and shows are complete, covering the entire week.

And then there’s Plattsburgh’s daily paper. It brags that it covers 8 Days A Week. But this notice appears almost every Thursday:

Due to space limitations, 8 days a week was unable to run in its entirety.

The Press-Republican should be honest and call its listing 6.5 Days A Week.

New buzzword: “Hyper-stupid.”