The trend toward fewer printed newspapers and magazines appears to be inevitable. Who will survive? Why? The ones who focus on the readers because the advertisers will always follow the readers.

Link: BtoBOnline.com: Media Power 50 by Sean Callahan

[Print media] properties are changing at an ever increasing rate to keep pace with the fluid habits of readers and b-to-b marketers. "They are changing," said Vickie Szombathy, VP-media director at Starlink Worldwide. "I think they’re just following their audience. It’s an adapt or die kind of thing."

A recent Jupitermedia Corp. study is one in a long line showing that media consumption has shifted to the Web. The study indicated that the number of online adults who prefer the Internet as their main source of news has grown by more than 35% in the last four years-at the expense of television and newspapers.

"You’re going to be seeing a lot more changes in media than what we’ve seen in the last seven years," said Mike Paradiso, global media director for Computer Associates International. "The next seven years will be 10 times what we’ve seen in the last seven years. There are digital, and wireless and the convergence of media. And there are increased targeting capabilities that will be available that are going to bring about a lot more changes, and brands will have to adapt."

With the print Wall Street Journal battered by drops in technology and b-to-b advertising expenditures over the past five years, its corporate parent, Dow Jones & Co., has launched numerous changes to strengthen the still formidable business newspaper. Earlier this year, the Journal introduced a version of wsj.com for BlackBerry handheld devices. It also added RSS feeds. Additionally, Dow Jones acquired MarketWatch, a free financial site, to complement the Online Journal, which is a subscription site.