Posts Tagged ‘regulation’
Disruptive technologies is nothing new.
Every industry has had to deal with technology disruption. Sometimes its even regulation that disrupts an industry, but it’s not new. In 1896 Congress passed the “Rural Free Delivery Act of 1896″. This ensured that all mail would get delivered even to remote areas. Equate this with regulation requiring telcos to serve the mid-west where homes are miles from each other. It would have been more cost effective to abandon those markets and just serve the high density cities.
Anyway, Sears-Roebuck the year before put out their 532 page mail-order catalog. Imagine how this disintermediated the general store. The customers got wider and newer selections, delivered to their door at competitive prices including delivery. Was there a government bail out for local stores? Did local stores go out of business? Did they have to change…probably. Service and fairer margins and providing credit were probably their value-adds.
My point is, it is no different today. Capitalism rewards change…change that the purchaser wants…not those that whine the most. So journalists…stop whinning, stop riding the broken tangible newspaper model and find a business model that delivers what your readers want.
Better, faster and cheaper communication is better. Distribution is free and your potential audience is world-wide…perfect for your mission. Never has journalism been positioned so well to deliver value.
