Summary: Over the past year, as a result of the downturn in our economy and several other factors, several large US based and international newspapers have seen a reduction in newsroom staff and advertising staff. In some cases, some newspapers have ceased publication altogether. With the advent of the Internet, mobile and tablet devices, more and more people are getting access to news without having to read a newspaper. In March 2010, Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism released a report titled State of the News Media 2010. Highlights of the report indicate that: Newspapers now spend $1.6 billion less annually on reporting and editing than they did a decade ago, the report estimates. I was intrigued by this but also suspected that this story was not necessarily the case for local community papers. For this week's episode, we are in conversation with Matt McMillan, publisher of the Hutchinson Leader, my community local paper. Together we discuss the changing face of the newspaper industry. A few days following our conversation, Matt and the Leader's editor, Doug Hanneman published an editorial on the same subject. About Matt McMillan Matt is the publisher, since 1995, of the Leader print and online publications including the Hutchinson Leader, hutchinsonleader.com, Leader Shopper, Litchfield Independent Review, independentreview.net, Meeker County Advertiser, Real Estate Guide, realestateguide.mn, motorbuys.com, myprepsplus.mn, Crow River Media magazines Dockside, Zest and Crow River Business and other media affiliates. The Leader was named top non-daily of its size in the nation several times in the past six years by the National Newspaper Association and Inland Press Association. It won the tops-in-the-nation honor from both organizations in 2009. Matt is first vice president of the Minnesota Newspaper Association board of directors and will serve as president of the state association in 2011. Prior to joining the Leader, Matt was publisher of the Cambridge (Minn.) Star for several years. His first real media job was as an advertising representative for Skyway Publications in Minneapolis.. You can view is complete profile on LinkedIn. Book's on Matt's Bookshelf I'll Always Have Paris (Affiliate link)
