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Introduction
The newspaper industry has existed since the 16th century and has evolved with time. Newspapers began by being the most accessible and affordable source of news back in the days. However, the digitization of news has changed the world of the newspaper today. Observer Centric Company covers local news as a way of surviving the industry. The company maintains happy community customers and is profitable. Its internal and external environment determines its success and life expectancy in the industry. Digitization of news may have affected newspapers but creative ways of delivering news are still emerging in the industry. Although digitization of the news might have adversely affected the newspaper industry, Observer Centric is doing better.
The History of Newspapers
The history of newspapers in America started way before independence. The English colonies first published a copy of newspapers named The Present State of the New-English Affairs which sought to clear some colonial rumors (Park 45). Furthermore, in the 17th and early 18th century, news of public opinions and current affairs were handwritten and posted for the public (Park 45).
In the 20th century, the digitization of news began hence bringing changes to the readers of newspapers. As the digitization of news continues, the sales of hard copy newspapers are expected to keep declining (Churchwell 15). Observer Centric has changed the history of the newspapers by focusing on local news. The company covers non-investigative local news whereby the focus is to update community people about recent development projects in their neighborhood. Covering local news attracts the community readers to follow area developments, hence are guaranteed to buy the newspapers. The covered advertisements are also based on neighborhood whereby people in the covered area advertise with the companys newspaper. Observer Centric also has a unique way of reporting news whereby it does not take sides. Providing neutral news reports helps the business from losing customers from either side of the news story.
SWOT Analysis
Strength
The main strength of Observer Centric is the coverage of local news. According to Teoli and Jason, strength is defined by what the company does best (2). Other newspapers in the industry provide information about the countrys politics, sports, entertainment, economic situations, commerce, and trade. Indeed, the newspapers also cover international news which local people might not have an interest in (Modikeng 14). However, Observer Centric in its newspaper edition, The Impact covers local news. Accordingly, the paper gives the readers a scope of everything that is happening in their communities. The coverage of local news makes local readers buy the edition as they want to learn about their neighborhood projects. Furthermore, half of the paper covers local news while the other half covers advertisements. Local businesses delight in the local advertisement as they catch the attention of the right people. Therefore, local coverage helps the company survive in the declining industry.
Weakness
A major weakness is that the Observer Centric paper does not cover national matters which may be important to the readers. The local readers may be attracted to the newspaper because it covers their area news but may also want to read national news. According to Modikeng, the readers of newspapers want a variety of news on different levels (8). The local business owners especially those advertising might want a section of business news where the newspaper covers how to grow business. Other news sections like sports at international or national news are still important. Therefore, the reader may need to buy another newspaper to cover the extra news need.
Opportunity
Observer Centric has an opportunity to cover more areas in providing local news. The case study provides that covering local news makes people want to read the newspapers as they learn about surrounding issues. Using the business model life cycle, the newspaper can undergo the four stages (Tao & Yu, 27). Observer Centric could expand its coverage of news by covering more local regions. The business had already undergone the startup stage and now should move to growth. Achieving growth will require more time and resources which means the business should invest more in the newspaper coverage. As time goes, the project will achieve maturity and require renewal. Renewing the newspaper will mean revisiting the areas that need improvement and implementing changes.
Threats
The Impact newspapers face the threat of competition from its industry rivalries. The extended rivalries in the industry include suppliers, customers, potential entrants, and substitutes (Kabeyi & Barasa 41). Observer Centric is likely to face potential entrants to the new venture. The newspaper industry is declining and as they look for a way to survive, other newspapers may look to cover local newspapers. Having other companies enter the new local news industry will be a blow for the Observer Centric. Potential entry will mean sharing customers in the local areas as some firms may end up covering the same community news as The Impact.
Another potential threat is the possible substitution of the company newspaper. The digitization of news has seen many hard copies readers move to read soft copies online. Today, local news is also covered in social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Observer Centric sells their news in form of newspapers but some customers could rely on online news which costs them nothing. Henceforth, the loyal customers buying the local news may turn to online news thus recording reduced business for the company.
Conclusion
The industry of newspapers has existed for a long time but the presence of digital sources of information is making this business lose the market. Observer Centric is an example of a creative way of surviving in the declining industry. The company has the strength of covering local news as the only newspaper in the industry. There is however the lack of national coverage which might make customers require another news feeder. Expanding the business to cover more local communities is a huge opportunity for Observer Centric but may face potential entrants and substitution.
Works Cited
Churchwell, Sarah. Behold, America: The Entangled History of America First and The American Dream . Basic Books, 2018.
Kabeyi, Moses Jeremiah Barasa. Michael Porters Five Competitive Forces and Generic Strategies, Market Segmentation Strategy And Case Study of Competition in Global Smartphone Manufacturing Industry. IJAR vol.4 no.10, 2018, pp. 39-45. Web.
Modikeng, M. A. The Influence of Radio and Newspaper Advertisements on the Buying Decisions of Consumers. Interim: Interdisciplinary Journal vol.17, no.1, 2018, pp.1-17.
Park, Robert E. IV. The Natural History of the Newspaper. The City. University of Chicago Press, 2019. 80-98.
Teoli, Dac, and Jason An. SWOT Analysis. 2019. Pp.1-6.
Tao, Jing, and Suiran Yu. Product Life Cycle Design for Sustainable Value Creation: Methods of Sustainable Product Development in the Context of High-Value Engineering. Procedia CIRP 69, 2018, pp. 25-30.
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