The Revolution Will Be Televised

By Mona Jia
     The revolution will be televised, but we will be too busy browsing the Internet for the information relating to the revolution, to notice. Although slightly exaggerated, but it wouldn’t be the first time the Internet has taken a healthy bite out of another media’s pie. After the first waves of the re¬cession in the last decade, industry observers reported that, unlike Ca¬nadian broadcasting companies, the rebound performances of news me¬dia companies were modest. Torstar Corp., the company that owns a slew of newspapers, including the Toron¬to Star and The Mississauga News, stated that the decline in revenue slowed at the end of 2009, with re¬ported quarterly net income of $57.4 million in March 2010, up from a net loss of $213.9 million during same period the previous year. This year, profits declined again, at $26.7 mil¬lion in the fourth quarter. Whether or not the newspaper industry’s decline has more to do with the recession or the advent of online news media is debatable, but the legitimacy or popularity of online news among consumers cannot be denied. The 2011 Egyptian Revolution, aided by online activism, is an example of the power of the Internet. Professional and amateur web reporters, blog¬gers, and anyone with a computer worldwide could get involved and stand in solidarity with the cause. The Internet is an appealing platform: it is interactive and offers worldwide exposure and unparalleled speed. The traditional media has had to adjust to the new playing field. The Don Mills-based National Post not only maintains nationalpost.com and financialpost.com, but also a Twitter feed, a Facebook page, and a blog on Tumblr. Small-town publications and newspaper giants alike are catching on and seeking new ways to profit. Just last month, the New York Times website launched a “paywall” in Canada. For $35 per month, loyal subscribers have access to a full package of e-news for com¬puters, mobile phones, and iPads, to satisfy their e-news cravings. Some content is still available for free, in¬cluding the home and front pages of all the sections, classifieds--and on mobile applications, the “Top News” sections. Whether or not this devel¬opment will be successful is yet to be determined. However, it is certain that the attentive eyes, ears, and wallets of The New York Times’ many competitors will keep a closer watch on it than anyone else. Its status as one of the most popular online news sites will be subject to change. In the meantime, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with your local publication, if you aren’t al¬ready a reader. The Toronto Star will probably not leave us any time soon, but there is no harm in supporting it. Personally, I don’t think that en¬larging a high-definition photo on a tiny LED screen can compare to the satisfaction from flipping through a physical publication in your hands.

Issue: spring 2011