Text 4
There will eventually come a day when The New York Times ceases to publish stories on newsprint. Exactly when that day will be is a matter of debate. “Sometime in the future,” the paper’s publisher said back in 2010.
Nostalgia for ink on paper and the rustle of pages aside, there’s plenty of incentive to ditch print. The infrastructure required to make a physical newspaper—printing presses, delivery trucks— isn’t just expensive; it’s excessive at a time when online-only competitors don’t have the same set of financial constraints. Readers are migrating away from print anyway. And though print and sales still dwarf their online and mobile counterparts, revenue from print is still declining.
Overhead may be high and circulation lower, but rushing to eliminate its print edition would be a mistake, says BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti.
Peretti says the Times shouldn’t waste time getting out of the print business, but only if they go about doing it the right way. “Figuring out a way to accelerate that transition would make sense for them,” he said, “but if you discontinue it, you’re going to have your most loyal customers really up- set with you.”
Sometimes that’s worth making a change anyway. Peretti gives the example of Netflix discon- tinuing its DVD-mailing service to focus on streaming. “It was seen as a blunder,” he said. The more turned out to be foresighted. And if Peretti were in charge at the Times? “I wouldn’t pick a year to end print,” he said. “I would raise prices and make it into more of a legacy product.”
The most loyal customers would still get the product they favor, the idea goes, and they’d feel like they were helping sustain the quality of something they believe in. “So if you’re overpaying for print, you could feel like you were helping,” Peretti said. “Then increase it at a higher rate each year and essentially try to generate additional revenue.” In other words, if you’re going to make a print product, make it for the people who are already obsessed with it. Which may be what the Times is doing already. Getting the print edition seven days a week costs nearly $ 500 a year—more than twice as much as a digital-only subscription.
“It’s a really hard thing to do and it’s a tremendous luxury that BuzzFeed doesn’t have a lega- cy business,” Peretti remarked. “But we’re going to have questions like that where we have things we’re doing that don’t make sense when the market changes and the world changes. In those situa- tions, it’s better to be more aggressive than less aggressive.”
36. The New York Times is considering ending its print edition partly due to
[A] the high cost of operation.
[B] the pressure from its investors.
[C] the complaints from its readers.
[D] the increasing online ad sales.
37. Peretti suggests that, in face of the present situation, the Times should
[A] seek new sources of readership.
[B] end the print edition for good.
[C] aim for efficient management.
[D] make strategic adjustments.
38. It can be inferred from Paragraphs 5 and 6 that a “legacy product”
[A] helps restore the glory of former times.
[B] is meant for the most loyal customers.
[C] will have the cost of printing reduced.
[D] expands the popularity of the paper.
39. Peretti believes that, in a changing world,
[A] legacy businesses are becoming outdated.
[B] cautiousness facilitates problems-solving.
[C] aggressiveness better meets challenges.
[D] traditional luxuries can stay unaffected.
40. Which of the following would be the best title of the text?
[A] Shift to Online Newspapers All at Once
[B] Cherish the Newspaper Still in Your Hand
[C] Make Your Print Newspaper a Luxury Good
[D] Keep Your Newspaper Forever in Fashion
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