Newspapers and Magazines Careers Outlook
According to the Career Guide to Industries (published by the U.S. Department of Labor), employment in the publishing industry, including newspapers and magazines, is expected to grow more slowly than the average for all industries through 2014. This is mainly due to corporate mergers and increased efficiency of publishing operations, which results in a need for fewer employees.
The number of daily papers has gradually decreased over the past several years, and while most major cities could support two daily papers in the past, only about 40 cities today have competing papers. This decline is partly due to the growing competition from the Internet, television, and radio as up-to-the-minute news sources. There is also strong competition between papers for a limited number of local advertisers who may not have the funds or the desire to advertise in two publications. Finding a reporting job on a daily newspaper has become tougher and tougher, as many dailies have folded. The best opportunities for reporters in the next decade will be found on newspapers in smaller towns and suburbs, both dailies and weeklies, where both populations and circulation are growing. Some major U.S. newspaper companies are expanding their operations overseas, particularly in Europe and Asia.
Individual newspaper circulation ranges from a few thousand or less to more than one million. There are special interest newspapers for banking, business, law, labor, medicine, real estate, home furnishings, oil, and other industries. Black and ethnic newspapers (including German, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Polish, and Spanish) number in the hundreds.
The magazine industry is estimated to grow more slowly than the average for all industries through 2014. As more and more specialized publications are introduced to the marketplace, the competition for advertising dollars will remain great. It is estimated that the primary growth in the magazine industry will come from publications that target specialized audiences. General interest magazines will have to develop advertising strategies and options that satisfy potential advertisers. This means offering regional advertising and other options for their publication.
The outlook for writing and editing jobs is expected to be keenly competitive. Opportunities will be best in firms that prepare business and trade publications and in technical writing. Yet, a growing demand for publications and the growth of advertising and public relations agencies should provide new jobs in the magazine industry.
The newspaper and magazine publishing industries are enormously powerful. They are responsible for providing timely, and sometimes urgent information to the public. More and more publications are producing online versions, which will require editors, writers, and salespeople, with skills specific to Web development. Many newspapers and magazines offer some editorial content free of charge online and charge fees for searching archives or receiving certain features by email. Some publications have a Web site simply as a promotion technique, to make readers aware and encourage them to subscribe to the print version.
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- Art Directors
- Cartoonists and Animators
- Columnists
- Editors
- Fashion Illustrators and Photographers
- Foreign Correspondents
- Graphic Designers
- Lexicographers
- Magazine Editors
- Marketing Research Analysts
- Media Planners and Buyers
- Music Journalists
- Newspaper Editors
- Photographers
- Printing Press Operators and Assistants
- Public Opinion Researchers
- Public Relations Specialists
- Reporters; Science and Medical Writers
- Sportswriters
- Technical Writers and Editors
- Writers