really interesting and insightful article, and it was balanced. It is interesting to note that as far as media is concerned what we have seen with the fragmentation of media is more opportunities to consume it in more ways.

Which is great for marketers in general.

What ha snot been so good for old world media empires has been the fragmentation of their rivers of gold with classifieds and display ads.

But the death of these channels such as Newspaper and Print in particular are overstated in some ways and not in others.

What we are seeing in particular in the USA is the consolidation of Print and the reduction of ‘less viable’ newspapers. There is no doubt that their revenues have declined and their customer tales have grown!

The important thing now is how quickly and ‘smartly’ the Newspapers and TV can move into these newer formats yet still deliver quality impressions/viewers to their media.

That said we have seen a precipitous decline in newsprint in the USA and some decline in Australia… but is it really terminal? I would suggest the real decline is in ad revenue and as you point out the advent of the multitasking consumer… mobile smart phone, laptop, TV all in one room and choosing to interact on-demand how they choose.

The trick for marketers is being found on the right device at the right time and integrating the communications into an ongoing worthwhile discussion about your brand.

Anyhoo, just wanted to drop a line and say thank you for the post.

Cheers, Clinton.

Print Media is increasingly looking at newer ways to reach it’s audiences. What with breaking news on the web, and that too delivered to your Blackberry or iPhone, the morning newspaper is becoming more obsolete. As much as I hate this fact, it’s happening.

People are choosing to connect more over the web, Social Media, than over any other form of communication. Well, now that we’ve hooked upon this new age media form, might as well make the best of it.

I talk about some of my crazy ideas on how Social media is helping organizations connect better with their prospects in my latest blog post: http://blog.insideview.com/2010/04/27/connecting-the-dots-how-sales-2-0-can-help-you-connect-with-prospects/

You could cater one single message over four different channels, therefore enabling you to saturate the ideal audience.
Funnily enough, smaller businesses and niche markets could thrive and co-exist in an environment where industry monopolies are rampant.

On another note, I do not believe that older forms of communication (newspapers and books) will die out. Many believe that the tactile properties of such products provide a type of ‘escapism’ that mobile phones andthe Amazon Kindle cannot provide (I’d live in fear of dropping the Kindle). Honestly, nothing is nicer than zoning out with a book on a cramped train or noisy tram.

I totally agree with the convergence comment. Because whenever i watch TV, I’m on my phone as well. Sometimes the laptop, but its too distracting. I’m on twitter, facebook, looking up stuff about the show (like reviews, info about the actor). the ipad will be fantastic for this.

I think one of the most exciting areas is going to be around streaming content to your tv. When stuff like netflix and amazon are able to stream stuff to you will be cool (prolly still can get around it). have u seen boxee? that’s really cool.

and on your news comment – agree as well! i actually realised i get a lot of my news from facebook pages. I subscribed to about 80+, a lot of them popular blogs that I read, and every morning i get my news and social updates mixed together!