The Changing News and Publishing Trends in America

A conversation I followed yesterday on Facebook about the lack of information online about Galion's Memorial Day Events inspired my last post about Galion Memorial Day Events and today's post on news and publishing trends.

News and Publishing Trends image courtesy of Pixabay

One of the posters in the group mentioned the details had been in the newspaper, but there was, at the time, nothing on the Galion Inquirer's website. (There is now - it was posted this morning shortly before the parade began.) 

I had to pause for a moment and wonder who actually picks up a paper copy of a newspaper anymore - then I decided to research the topic and find out. 

I love to read, and I follow both local, national, and international news, but I can't remember the last time I picked up a paper copy of a newspaper, and I actually don't know of anyone who does - other than the Facebook guy who said it was in the newspaper, of course.

Declining Demand for Print Copies of Newspapers

While there will probably always be some people who prefer to hold a paper copy of printed information over reading it on a backlit screen, the demand for eco-unfriendly paper copies has declined as technology has advanced.

In 2012, Pew Research noted that only 29-percent of Americans read a daily newspaper, and only 23-percent read print copies, the rest turned to digital copies for news updates.

By 2015, the demand for print copies of newspapers had, as expected, declined even more.

The demand for digital news increases by about 9.8-percent per year while the demand for printed copies of newspapers declines by about 3-percent per year, according to a 2015 report on Statista.

Average Age of Newspaper Readers

Of those who read newspapers, the age distribution is fairly well distributed, according to the News Media Alliance, but, the distribution includes the more popular digital media forms on websites and mobile devices instead of just printed copies.

• The average age of people reading print copies of newspapers is 53.5
• The average age of people reading news on computers is 41.4
• The average age of people reading news on mobile devices is 38.6

Using the Galion Inquirer as an Example

Not to pick on the Galion Inquirer, because it's an award-winning publication as is noted on their advertising page, and I actually have a great deal of respect for the publication, but Galionite is a Galion website and the Galion Inquirer is our local newspaper, so it's the logical example.

(Have you ever seen the word Galion so many times in one sentence?)

• In 2005, the Cincinnati Post noted that the Galion Inquirer had a circulation of about 3,000. 
• Applying the percentage of stats cited by the 2012 Pew Research mentioned above to Galion's population of just over 10,000 (rounded - as noted by the Census) at that time, about 2,900 Galionites would have read the Galion Inquirer per day, but only about 2,300 of those readers would have picked up paper copies to read. 
• (Also: note that the Galion Inquirer is not published on a daily basis while the demand for news is cited on a daily basis.)
• Then, applying the 3-percent decline per year for printed copies, the 2018 demand for printed copies should be around 1916 copies. 
• (Again, this is not published daily while demand is daily)
• (I could not find any stats published on the paper's current circulation to find out how close the math is to being correct - not even on their page for advertisers.)
• The number of Galionites seeking daily news in the digital format in 2018 should be around 5,082.
• The total time invested in reading news in digital formats is expected to be only about 12 minutes per day as of 2018. 
• (Note: The importance of speed and ease of access when such a limited amount of time is invested in reading current news.)

Why Digital News Has Taken the Lead With Readers

There are a lot of reasons people are opting to get news in digital formats, instead of the print copies as noted by a post on the website, Friendly Bits. 

These reasons include lack of relevance, not covering the stories that are of interest to the public, lack of unique content, publishing at a snail's pace in a lightning-fast world, paper copies are not as eco-friendly as reading online, and inability to make instant corrections to stories when new facts are uncovered or typos are found. 

(In other words, once it's printed and distributed, it's there to stay.)

So, how about you? Which format do you prefer when it comes to keeping up with the news? 

Memorial Day Services in Galion, Ohio?

I've just spent the past hour searching for information about Memorial Day Services in Galion, Ohio, and while I found the city auditor posted on Facebook for the Galion Alumni Band members to be at their meeting spot for the parade at 9:30 tomorrow morning (May 28, 2018), I couldn't find any other information whatsoever.

So, When Are the Memorial Day Services in Galion This Year?

I would answer that question, but, I don't know because I can't find it anywhere... but...  it's apparently some time after 9:30 tomorrow morning. 

(Oh, and Splash Park will be open from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. according to the city's Facebook page - so that's nice for the people who have little kids.)

I haven't found a single solid piece of information on when exactly the Memorial Day parade starts or about any type of memorial services offered to honor the veterans who died in service to our country.

So, in the absence of any real information on the services to be held in Galion tomorrow - I would like to simply take this moment to honor our veterans who gave their lives in service to the country. 

History of Memorial Day in the US

Memorial Day has been part of this country's legacy since the late 1800's, and while it has emerged as the unofficial start of summer and a popular day to enjoy a cookout, it's a lot more than just a day to have picnics or to get an extra day off work.

While this is a very brief summary, Memorial Day is a day that has been set aside to remember the people who died while serving in the armed forces.

Think, if you will, about the magnitude of that for a moment...

Whether you're making the most of the life you've been given, or you're screwing things up royally, people gave their lives so you could be free and have one and make your own choices, and Memorial Day gives you the opportunity to pause for a moment and remember those service people and what they sacrificed for you.

Where I Looked for Information About Memorial Day Events in Galion

Something like Memorial Day services and the parade time should be big news in a small town like Galion, but it got no coverage in regards to when to be there. (At least not that I could find online)

By the way: Some of the places I checked looking for Memorial Day service and parade information - and found none - include:

• The Galion Inquirer Website
• The City of Galion's Official website, which did have some nice photos of the 2016 events,
• Several Galion-themed Facebook pages, including
• The city's official Facebook page
• The Chamber of Commerce's
• The Galion Inquirer's
• Plus, I entered Galion Ohio Memorial Day 2018 Services in Facebook and in the regular Google search engines and got zero results.
• Crawford Source
• The Bucyrus Telegraph Forum (just in case they covered it)
• The News Journal website (just in case they covered it)
• The Marion Star website, (just in case they covered it)
• The Morrow County Sentinel (just in case they covered it)

Maybe in the Future Galionite Can Share This Information...

So, just a thought... this blog exists to share information, and no other sites appear to be sharing information about things happening in Galion anyway...

So, if you are handing an upcoming event, please keep Galionite.com in mind and feel free to share the information about your event by emailing the "Who, What, When, Where, Why etc. (anything folks need to know in order to attend your event) to galionite@workmail.com - and your Galion, Ohio event will be covered here on the site and shared on Facebook to increase community awareness of it.

Update:

I found this info in a conversation in a Facebook group: Parade line-up in front of the American Legion. Shotgun starts the parade at 10am... At 8:15am, before the parade,  there will be snacks at The American Legion (Banq side) Luncheon at the VFW after the Fairview Cemetery ceremony.

Other comments mentioned this being in the newspaper - but - it wasn't on their website, and few people see news that isn't digitally-printed anymore, so I'm hoping sharing it here helps.  

Second Update: The Galion Inquirer website added a brief post about Galion's Memorial Day service and parade this morning - which is great - but for people who like to plan ahead, there would have been no chance to attend. 

Galion Weather Forecast for Monday May 21, 2018 through Friday May 25, 2018

The Galion weather forecast is presented below to give you an idea what to expect this coming week. If you have a lot to do outdoors this coming week, it looks like the second half of the week is going to bring the better weather to the Galion area.

Galion Weather Forecast image courtesy of Pixabay

Galion Ohio Weather for May 21-25, 2018 

Monday, May 21 weather in Galion is expected to bring scattered thunderstorms (about a 60-percent chance and mainly in the afternoon and evening hours) and light breezes. 

Tuesday, May 22 weather for Galionites should be delivering some more thunderstorms, again with about a 60-percent chance, starting in the morning and letting up towards evening. Breezes should be light at around 12 mph.

Galion Ohio weather forecast image courtesy of Pixabay

Wednesday, May 23 Galion weather should be a bit dryer, with highs around 75-degrees and mostly cloudy skies. At 9 mph, breezes should be light.

Thursday, May 24 Galion Ohio weather is expected to bring partly cloudy skies, highs around 80-degrees and 6 mph winds for very light breezes.

Friday, May 25 weather for the Galion area is looking like it will be sunny and hot, with highs around 82-degrees, 9 mph breezes and a 53-percent humidity level.

I'll try to keep this updated if anything changes as the week progresses, but it looks like other than a couple rainy days, we might have some weather that allows for outdoor activities in Galion.