Al Neuharth, the founder of USA Today, writes about the years ahead:
Twenty-five years ago, Sept. 15, 1982, USA TODAY made its debut as The Nation’s Newspaper.
Most media critics wrote our obit before we were born.
Now, it’s the biggest circulation newspaper in the country and still growing.
But many cynics say newspapers no longer will exist 25 years from now.
Back then, when my career and livelihood depended on USA TODAY’s success, doomsayers bothered me a bit.
Now, at age 83 and retired, they actually amuse me.
A historical perspective helps when captious critics cry.
When radio was introduced in 1920, they said that was the end of newspapers.
Ditto with TV in 1939.
Now, it’s the Internet.
Some newspapers are suffering relatively slight circulation losses.
But here’s the growth record for the past 25 years of the nation’s two biggest newspapers:
* USA TODAY from zero to 2,278,039.
* The Wall Street Journal from 1,925,722 to 2,062,312.
Those are Audit Bureau of Circulations figures as of March 31.
USA TODAY will show an increase again when the next regular six-month figures come out after Sept. 30.
USA TODAY’s parent company, Gannett, is headed by the most digitally oriented CEO in the business, Craig Dubow.
He’ll successfully blend newspapers and TV with the Internet.
The Wall Street Journal’s parent company, Dow Jones, soon will be led by the smartest media mogul in the world, Rupert Murdoch.
He is betting $5 billion on the future.
Your own local newspaper will follow the examples of those two biggies in wedding the Internet and print for the benefit of both.
So we’ll all read on.
Happy 25th to you!
Thanks for helping make it possible.
And many, many more!
We need more new ideas.
And more innovators like Neuharth.
USA Today was the last BIG IDEA in the US market – 25 years ago.
The last one!
(Picture: Al Neuharth during the presentation of our 2003 Innovations in Newspapers Global Report at the WAN Congress in Dublin)
