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Trends, Challenges & More in Oregon
It’s no secret that print media and local journalism has seen a decline. The once ever-popular newspaper has largely seen a drop in circulation and popularity as many generations, especially younger ones, opt for more fast-paced and digital forms of media and news.
Since 2000, employment in Oregon newspapers has dropped by about 80 percent, understandably due to a higher cost of operating/living, combined with a drop in popularity for that specific type of media.
While these trends are emblematic of not just the state of Oregon, but the entire country as a whole, it is still true that rural areas are being hit the hardest. Most Oregon counties have at least a few newspapers, websites, radio or television stations reporting their news. Here in Deschutes County, that number is eight. For Portland and Multnomah County, that number is 32. For many rural counties like Douglas, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Harney and others, they have only one media outlet reporting their local news. Two counties — Sherman and Wheeler — have none.
With employment issues, there are on average fewer journalists per capita in nearly every Oregon county, when compared to numbers from the year 2000. The Rogue Valley and the Portland Tri-County Area boast the highest and healthiest scores in the state (15.2 and 14.3 journalists per 100k people, respectively). The East Cascades region, including Deschutes County, averages a journalist ratio of 8.9 per 100k people.
Eastern Oregon, while producing a high ratio of journalists, still struggles with effective coverage. Despite having 27.8 journalists per 100k people, that figure is driven up by the fact that Eastern Oregon has a very small population (just 97,000 in 2022 when this study was conducted). In terms of gross figures, journalists in Eastern Oregon individually cover more land than any other Oregon population of journalists, which causes issues in terms of accurately covering everyone in the region.
Another factor to this story is ownership. Years of consolidation have resulted in more than half of all Oregon media outlets being owned by out-of-state companies. Potentially, this can cause a trend where the companies producing stories no longer have a strong stake in the stories themselves. In 2024, Carpenter Media Group became the single largest newspaper owner in Oregon by purchasing the Pamplin and EO Media papers.
This purchase made Carpenter Media Group a giant in Oregon; they own 39 media outlets across the state, while local media companies and other private in-state owners own 25 and 23 media outlets, respectively.
However, not all is doom and gloom. While print media and local journalism has seen a decline, the success stories of surviving media outlets help tell us what to do.
Some local media outlets can provide us with that insight. Aaron Switzer, founder and publisher of Source Weekly, said that, “The Source has been fortunate to remain nimble through all the changes the industry has experienced. We have always been a small family-owned business so we have not experienced a lot of the downsizing that larger media outlets have experienced. It is not as difficult to implement change in a small newsroom as it is across a network or large multi-paper company. We also do not have the same pressures to turn any certain percentages of profits as you do in hedge fund driven companies, so we can keep our eye on quality control over the bottom line.”
In addition, he mentioned how constantly changing technology, from digital page layout, websites and social media to blogs, podcasts, short video storytelling, and now AI, keeps both the challenges and opportunities coming; each new advancement can be either a challenge/distraction to deal with, or an opportunity to stay nimble and react to the market.
Another local example is Cascade Business News (CBN); another locally owned, free publication that provides accessible news to and about the local business community.
Jeff Martin, editor of CBN and owner/CEO of the local holding company, Cascade Publications Inc., holds a similar sentiment when it comes to new technology and the shifting industry. In addition, he spoke on the importance of customer service and maintaining that personal touch that so many major media outlets and out-of-state-owned media outlets lack.
“In the mid 2000’s the competition was extreme and there were a lot more print options,” said Martin. “We felt like we always had a core focus on customer service and relationships with our readers, writers and advertisers. That wasn’t always true with many of our competitors, and some paid the price when the 2010 crash hit.”
In terms of embracing technological change, Martin advocates for a balanced approach, “embrace digital, but know when to pick your fights and try not to compete with the entire internet. Find your niche and give people something they can’t find anywhere else.”
Customer service, intelligent adaptation to the new times and of course, finding your niche and providing relevant stories to your audience. For some local media outlets, this is the formula for success in an increasingly digital world.