Viewers interested in the future of the Internet and the print medium might want to visit www.CharlieRose.com and view “A conversation with entrepreneur and software engineer Marc Andreessen” which was broadcast on Feb. 19, 2009, part of a series.
Andreessen, co-founder of NetScape and several other highly successful web sites, boldly suggests that most newspapers should “shut down the presses now” and focus on the Internet! He maintains it is foolish to put 90% of their efforts into what will disappear in a few years and only 10% into what can endure and prove profitable.
Guests on earlier programs stated that few sites will be able to support themselves with advertisement and the profitable ones will provide special information and charge viewers. (For example, most articles on LancasterOnLine.com might be available only by subscription.)
Guests on the show maintain only the Wall Street Journal and a few other highly specialized publications will be able to continue a print edition and also profit from the sale of on-line subscriptions and from advertisements.
