The Winnipeg Free Press in Canada has come close to what you are suggesting…

http://www.newseum.org/todaysf.....rthAmerica

As well just this past week according to Audit Bureau of Circulations the average weekday newspaper circulation for the six months ending Sept. 30, 2007 for the Wpg Free Press was up 1.28%.

“Paid circulation for most major Canadian daily newspapers was either down or relatively flat in the six months ending Sept. 30.”

http://www.winnipegfreepress.c.....3165c.html

One point about about WAN though is they tend to always go on about how newspaper circulations are growing globally. That’s true but only because they are growing so strongly in emerging economies like India. However they are declining across the US and Europe. Also, while newspaper circs have been in decline for decades, in the UK at least, the rate of decline has accelerated since 2000. Also note whether the WAN figures include free titles which have seen a huge growth in the UK and Europe over the past 10 years, largely at the expense of paid for titles.

Another thing to separate out is circulations from ad revenues. A lot of newspapers in the UK have achieved ad revenue increases over the past 5 years despite substantial circulation declines. However ad revenues (particularly classifieds) are now heavily in decline in the US much of which is driven by price competition from the internet.

On local, in the UK at least, small local weekly titles are doing better (for both circ and revenues) than city titles. Generally, over here if you can see sheep from your office things should be ticking along OK!

On current trends in 10 years time there will still be newspapers, just less well read and *a lot* less profitable.

http://www.wavecorp.com

Or would this just create more forest fires.

Nothing like reading the NYT in the weekend over your leisure time.

http://www.meetingflex.com
Social Networking + Video - Crap

Local aggregation, when done right, will swing things back IMO. I’m taking a crack at it with http://houndwire.com .

I think we’ll see cheap laser printers with internet connections on street corners in a few years printing out aggregated local + national content… which will address dude’s need to take it in the restroom.

In your article you write:

—
“The problem today with print media in the United States is that it has yet to have undergone a massive market restructuring that has occurred in other countries.”
—

I can’t speak to magazine circulation but daily Newspapers have done nothing but close-up or consolidate since the late 1970’s.

That said another wave is undoubtedly in the works.

Duncan Riley of Techcrunch writes:
“Readership of newspapers has continued to decline in the United States as more readers turn to online sources for news, according to the NY Times.
The Audit Bureau of Circulations figures show that newspaper r…