The Star Ledger putting out an issue minus the AP might be getting more press, no pun intended, than it deserves, but it does raise a pressing issue (pun intended this time) about the future of print media. The Star Ledger, which has made some dramatic cuts lately in a bid to stay profitable, cutting back on wire services makes sense because after all few Star Ledger readers, particularly under 40 are reading the paper for global or national coverage anyway.

The internet has dramatically changed the business model for print media and the outlets most likely to survive are either national name brand papers such as the New York Times which will have to cut and trim and sell a lot (NY1 has already been sold and their white elephant of a skyscraper may be next in a downward real estate market) while surviving on prestige and solid website offerings that can compete with non print media websites, and local papers that can survive by focusing on the local instead of trying to be an all around paper by providing national and world coverage its customers will get online anyway.

As the internet penetrates more and more homes, wire services such as the AP will find themselves out of place in the print media marketplace. National brand name papers such as the New York Times don’t need to rely on them with a wide base of correspondents all across the country and local papers are surviving by going more local, providing more community and less national and global courage. Reuters has been smart about its online strategy, the AP less so. UPI has been out of the game for a while. Wire services will still have a place online but in a tougher marketplace selling their services may not be as easy anymore (pun not intended, and so we come full circle).