The shakeout in traditional media companies is ratcheting up a notch, as layoffs continue, and some big names are starting to enter the picture.
One of the more recent and well-known is Bob Lobel, a veteran and legendary sportscaster from WBZ-TV, who just received notice that he is being let go by the company.
Two of the major factors are the economic conditions, as well as the migration of advertising dollars to the Web.
What the economy is doing is causing the process to increase in speed, and may be catching people off guard as to how quickly it's beginning to happen.
Of course this has already started some time ago, but the depth of the cuts are going to increase, and many in the industry will be surprised that they're on the receiving end of those cuts.
None of this should cause too much concern if you're depending on online ad revenue as your main source of income, as that shouldn't be hurt by the ongoing negative news we will continue to hear. It'll seem to be getting worse than it is because it's probably going to increase at a quicker pace, which will make the situation be covered in the news at a similar pace.
We have to be careful not to allow the inevitable news coverage to distort the reality of what's happening in the online ad space, which will continue to be a growth area regardless of what happens with the traditional media platforms.
Online ad revenue will definitely continue to increase, but we must watch for the very real possibility that it may slow down in growth. That's the real question we face over the next year or two until the economy starts to right itself.
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