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This interview is part of the Future of Journalism interview series.
Interview with Andrew Degenholtz , president of ValueMags , a magazine subscription marketing agency.
 How has the Internet affected your company, and what have you done to adapt to new technologies?
AD: Our company develops partnerships with online companies to sell magazine subscriptions. We are watching how the Internet is changing the way that consumers search for and find content online. Search engine optimization has been the newest, and, has had the most impactful change to our business in recent years. We’re very careful to make sure that our Web site and our publishers’ content is formatted perfectly, meeting all of the necessary criteria to ensure high rankings by the search engines.
Besides the Web, what other challenges do print publications face? What can they do meet these challenges?
AD: The cost of printing, specifically, the price of ink and paper, continues to rise. Postage and handling costs have consistently been climbing. And, of course, as we’ve seen especially in the past five years, a decline in subscription sales has been hitting the newspaper industry particularly hard. But the good news is that publications are slowly adapting to the changes and trying to meet the needs of consumers. Electronic content is important and we believe that five to 20 percent of printed content will be available through digital readers and online mediums within the next five years. Publications continue to work on adapting to this changing landscape, while, unfortunately, still facing some challenges along the way. But there certainly is value that comes along with the changes that lead to being more digital friendly. These changes have also led many traditional newspapers to re-think their business models and invited veteran reporters to branch out, some even developing their own blogs. Not only is the distribution of content electronically more efficient, it’s also more environmentally friendly, and today with so many green efforts underway, that’s an important step toward our future.
Are newspapers and magazines dead?
AD: No. But the form factor is difficult to improve. Consumers appreciate the portability of paper and the experience derived from reading a physical newspaper or magazine. There are many loyal readers who still prefer to read a hard copy of a newspaper or magazine. The business models may be evolving, but the medium is not dead. I don’t think it ever will be. It may take some time, but we will see them adapt.
What is the future of journalism and journalists?
AD: Do I think the future of journalism and journalists is bleak? Absolutely not. In fact, quite the opposite. If the 24-hour news cycle began with CNN, just look how it has evolved today. It’s incredible how a breaking news story instantly travels to not only millions of radios and television sets, but now, also to millions of Blackberrys, iPhones and computer screens. We’re an information hungry society and we cannot be satiated without a steady stream of free-flowing information. This is what we crave. We want information and we want it now. We can be sitting on a train and listening to President-elect Barack Obama ‘s speech on his latest Cabinet picks from our digital devices. We can watch video clips of Henry Paulson’s latest speech on the economic bailout from our cell phones. It’s all at the edge of our fingertips. And I believe the future of journalists is no different. Not only is competition between publications at an all-time high, but journalists feel this too, as they are being kept on their toes now more than ever to bring the story to consumers first, at a faster rate than ever before. Many anticipate that the modern day journalist will morph into the “backpack journalist,” where not only good writing and grammar skills will be valuable, but taking photographs and shooting video will almost become a necessity. As we’ve already seen, the “citizen journalist” also plays a large role in this new media landscape. Bloggers getting press passes to news events once reserved for the traditional media will only help hungry consumers get even more specialized information. But one thing remains the same: good writing is still good writing. That won’t ever change. If you have something to say, people will read, no matter how it’s packaged.
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