As a New Yorker, I ride the subway all the time. As a media person with an antenna up for how people consume information—-and with special interest in how users relate to their smartphones—I have observed the way New Yorkers emerging or entering the subway simply ignore the stacks of free newspapers waiting to be picked up, as they look into their phones.
This is not just New York City, but in many other large cities. When in Paris, I also commute on the train, going in and out of the Opera station, where there is always a person dispensing newspapers to commuters. Like their fellow New Yorkers, the Parisians also keep walking, their phones in their hands, the constant companion that is with them at all times.
I am sad, but not surprised, to hear that another commuter newspaper is having its obituary written.
The Washington Post has stopped printing and distributing its free daily commuter paper, Express. The reason? A familiar one by now: deteriorating financial conditions, combined with less advertising, and, as we all know, audience apathy to a product that does not appear to be essential in their lives.
Like other commuter newspapers, Express was designed to be a fast read, something free to entertain an audience that did not usually subscribe to another newspaper, a way to kill a few minutes during the commute. That was before entertainment was plenty available on the phone, and not just for presenting news, but also videos, TV shows and movies.
My friend Geoffrey Ros, a Washington commuter, summed it up this way:
Metro installed WiFi and that was the death note for Express
For anyone wondering the reason why the Express ceased to be, just take a look at its last front page:
Also Read:
How the Washington Post Became a Must-Follow on Teen App TikTok
More Than a Quarter of Big Newspapers Had Layoffs in 2018
…and a digital newspaper is born!
This softens the blow. A new digital newspaper is born today in Spain. It is called NIUS (acronym that stands, in Spanish, for New information Useful And Simple).
We will discuss NIUS in the Tuesday blog.
Newsletter we like
This is the 5-minute Fix, a Washington Post newsletter devoted to politics.
My chat with in Monocle Radio
Listen to my chat in Monocle Radio’s The Stack: Latest episode‘The Face’ and ‘The Story’:We welcome the return of the print version of ‘The Face’ and talk to legendary newspaper designer Mario Garcia about his latest book, ‘The Story’.
https://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-stack/368/play/
My interview with CNN en Español
I was a guest in the program Encuentro, hosted by Guillermo Arduino daily at CNN en Español. The interview was about how we read on mobile devices and my introduction of my new mobile storytelling book, The Story, to a Spanish-language audience.
Mario’s speaking engagements
Presentation of The Story at the Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa (SIP) in Miami, as the organization celebrates its 75th anniversary serving the Latin American Press, Miami.
October 4, 2019
Keynote Luncheon Speech: Ad Club of Toronto, Newspaper Day
October 25, 2019
Keynote presentation: Business Information & Media Summit (BIMS).
November 12, 2019
Order print edition of The Story
You can order the print edition of my new mobile storytelling book, The Story, from Amazon already here:
The Story now available!
The newspaper remains the most powerful source of storytelling on the planet. But technology threatens its very existence. To survive, the Editor must transform, adapt, and manage the newsroom in a new way. Order The Story by Mario Garcia, chief strategist for the redesign of over 700 newspapers around the world.
Order here:
https://thaneandprose.com/shop-the-bookstore?olsPage=products%2Fthe-story
The Story will also appear in print
I am happy to announce that we will, indeed, have a print edition of my mobile storytelling book, The Story. I thank you for expressing your interest to our publisher, Thane Boulton, of Thane & Prose. Now the print edition will be a reality, and you can already see the cover and back cover here:
An interview of interest
http://www.itertranslations.com/blog/2019/3/11/fd60ybflpvlqrgrpdp5ida5rq0c3sp
TheMarioBlog post # 3113