The Old Media and New Media Still Need Each Other

The relationship between the Old Media and the New Media is not as bitter as one might think. A blogger and web marketing consultant explains that these sometimes-feuding parties need each other.

(PRWEB) December 2, 2004 -- According to one blogger, the rise of New Media has not made the Old Media irrelevant--at least not yet.

"There's no doubt that the Internet has shaken up the mainstream new media" says Kevin Harper, blogger and webmaster of TopSellerSites.com. "But that doesn't mean the two worlds are completely at war with each other. I would even make the case they need each other."

He points to the huge impact of the Drudge Report as a promoter of mainstream media news articles for evidence of the symbiotic relationship. "It's true that Matt Drudge competes with reporters when he breaks a story of his own. But reporters love his success, because getting their article linked on his site brings in readers and helps their own careers. In fact, reporters for mainstream media outlets have been known to leak major stories to Drudge in advance of publication in order to generate interest in the story." Harper says the relationship is not a one-way love affair, either. Bloggers, the notorious "pyjama clad" newshounds who broke the story of Rather's forged documents, love mainstream media attention. LittleGreenFootballs.com and PowerlineBlog.com, who got the ball rolling on the forgery story, make no bones about promoting themselves to the mainstream media. They have appeared on numerous radio and television shows since the Rather debacle.

"I think there's a feeling that being talked about by the traditional press legitimizes you" he says. "It certainly brings eyeballs to your site, which every blogger wants." But he notes that audiences are not a "zero sum game." "People have played up the feud between Old Media and New Media by pointing to dropping audience numbers for broadcast TV and newspapers, and rising interest in blogs and other more immediate sources of information. But this competetition isn't between, say, two radio shows in the same time slot. Just because a person reads a weblog does not mean they won't watch a TV broadcast, or vice versa." He does hint that broadcast news probably needs to change with the times to become more relevant, but deflects serious questions on how they will do that. "I'm not a TV producer, so I just don't have the answer to that question. If I figure it out, though, you'll read it first on my blog."

About Kevin Harper

Kevin Harper is a Christian web developer , blogger, and owner of TopSellerSites.com. A former architect and director of marketing for a successful architectural firm, he is bringing his marketing and public relations expertise to other business owners to help them grow web traffic, leads, and sales. On the Net:

Top Seller Sites

Life is Ministry Blog

Hard Core Ministry

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