Digital Debate Rages, But S.F. Chronicle Bets on Print

(MoneyWatch)  One of those nice little debates that make the web so enjoyable broke out the past few days, with David Carr of The New York Times arguing that what's needed to save the newspaper industry is an "iTunes for news," i.e., a way to get users online to pay for content.
His point is that what Steve Jobs did for the music business (supplying a tool that inspires at least some users to pay for music downloads) needs to happen before online newspaper or magazine content is going to have any hope of being monetized.

He also mentions one potential such tool, an oversized iPod Touch that Apple is reportedly developing for release later this year.
Meanwhile, Carr's main concern is that newspapers have not developed any business plan that would allow them to migrate online and survive on the basis of free content supported by advertising.

Over at Poynter.org, Rich Gordon blogs, "I beg to differ." Gordon goes on to quote reports that indicate media companies could up their ad revenue by an order of magnitude or more by selling ads directly, rather than through one of the national ad networks.

What's happening here is a debate about the nature of the problem facing media companies. Is it a technology issue or the lack of a new business model? Or some vague force like globalization or the "democratization of the news?"

While the debate continues, real dangers lurk, but I'll spare you by not recycling the old Titanic analogy. Instead, let me pose the question this way? If you were running a newspaper, where would you be placing your investments, knowing so much is at stake?

My hunch is that no one is answering "into a new printing plant." But that is exactly what sources indicate the San Francisco Chronicle is doing. The news was a tad hard to swallow even back in 2006, when the paper announced its intention.
Since then, that news had slipped from my memory. But the Chronicle is now preparing to launch its newly designed (smaller, with color) model sometime later this spring.

Wow. This leaves me speechless. A printing plant? I guess that's one way to settle the debate over the future. Ignore it!