EXCERPT: “The Benson paper, like many in the most rural parts of the state, struggles to hang on as populations shift and subscriptions fall off. Digital advertising generates only a fraction of the revenue at small papers in Minnesota – 5 percent or less at most weeklies, in Anfinson’s estimation. Indeed, while daily newspapers have embraced the digital age, posting their content on slick websites – and, increasingly, charging readers to access it – most community newspapers get by on an older model, relying on subscriptions and print advertising dollars from local businesses. For many, websites remain mostly a complement to the ink-on-paper editions. Anfinson argues that in this kind of digital-only world, newspapers across Minnesota – and the country – will begin to disappear. And that worries him – not only for his paper, but for the vitality of small towns.” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2JkgTEc
