Ye olde town crier…

Ye olde town crier

Back in the days, the town crier was a person employed by a town council to make public announcements in the streets. The crier was also used for court or official announcements. Criers often dressed elaborately, by a tradition dating to the 18th century, in a red and gold robe, white breeches, black boots, and a three-cornered hat, the quaint tricorne.

They carried a bell to attract people’s attention, and shouted the words “Oyez, Oyez!” before making their announcements. The word “Oyez” means “hear ye,” a call for silence and attention. Oyez derives from the Anglo-Norman expression for listen, “O Yes!”

In Medieval England, town criers were the chief means of communicating news to the townspeople, many of whom could neither read nor write. Royal proclamations, local bylaws, market days, advertisements were all proclaimed by the town crier throughout the centuries.

Sadly, but inevitably, town criers disappeared. They were replaced by a more modern form of communication – the newspaper.

By now you should get the drift. The powerful and influential Tribune Co., owner of the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

With advertising revenue down 16% from a year ago, even the mighty New York Times is struggling to survive. The company is trying to raise some US$225 million by mortgaging its newly minted Renzo Piano-designed skyscraper headquarters in Manhattan – and we all know what can happen to a mortgage.

Like the town criers of old, the newspapers of today are facing the threat of a new technology – the Internet. The newspaper delivery boy and the sidewalk kiosk cannot compete with the distribution provided by the Internet. The news portals, like Drudge, the lowly blogs and text alerts are sending passé newspaper technology the way of the old town crier. Yes, newspapers could publish themselves on the Internet – but how could they monetize their sites sufficiently to meet expenses, when the Internet is awash with free news?

Monetize is the current great Internet word. It’s all about how to make your website or blog pull in some cash. The answer is simple – the newspapers can’t monetize worth a dime. The conclusion is inevitable – newspapers will be joining the town crier, as another quaint historical footnote in the Wikipedia.

“Oyez, Oyez!”