Can e-newspapers save the industry?
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MARK AUSTIN THOMAS: Newspapers are struggling these days. Both ad revenue and subscriptions are down, however Rachel Dornhelm says some new technology could help business rebound.
RACHEL DORNHELM: Imagine a computer screen that’s as thin and flexible as a piece of Saran Wrap. You can even roll it up and carry it in your pocket. It’s a technology headed for store shelves in a year or two.
Analyst Vin Crosbie says newspaper publishers are intrigued.
VIN CROSBIE: They’ve realized they need some hybrid of the traditional print product and also the web at the same time, something that’s interactive but still has the display potentials of traditional printed newspaper.
Crosbie says business plans for the device are still unclear . . .
CROSBIE: Although most publishers would like to have that subscription revenue coming in to them.
Syndicate Hearst recently said pilot programs for the technology could start with select San Francisco Chronicle and Houston Chronicle subscribers later this year.
I’m Rachel Dornhelm for Marketplace.
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