Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
School
Management
Advisor
Allen C. Endres
Abstract
The development of Web 2.0 transformed the distribution of information in the United States and challenged the print newspaper business model to develop an online presence. As a result, some weekly print newspaper managers were forced to develop digital strategies to maintain the viability of their organizations in a changing market. Grounded in Kotter’s change management model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies weekly print newspaper managers used to create an online presence. The data sources were semistructured interviews with three weekly print newspaper managers and publicly available documents, including company archives, website data, and social media. The four themes resulting from thematic analysis were (a) active social media presence; (b) employee training and mentorship to support digital content development, delivery, and interaction; (c) localizing the news; and (d) connecting with readers multiple times a week through newsletters and newspapers’ websites. A key recommendation is for newspaper managers to implement a multiple-path communications process for catalyzing consumer interactions with the newspapers’ products. The implications for positive social change include the potential to provide consumers with more relevant and timely information for improving the lives of communities’ citizens.
Recommended Citation
Alexander-Davis, Mia, "Strategies That Weekly Print Newspapers Use in the Digital Age" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 12247.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/12247
