African American newspaper owners meet to discuss future

Posted by Simon Day on June 26, 2009 at 8:14 AM

This weekend members of the National Newspaper Publisher Association, which represents more than 200 newspapers owned by African Americans, will meet in Minneapolis for the group's annual summer conference, Minnesota Public Radio reported Thursday.

The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder and Insight News are co-hosts of the event. Insight News publisher Al McFarlane said newspapers under the group's umbrella are facing all the challenges of the digital age and the turbulent economic climate, just like other newspapers across the United States.

"We, like everybody else, are concerned about the impact of the coming digital age. We're newspapers, but we know newspapering today and in the future means more than just our print editions," said McFarlane, according to MPR. "As we speak, there's a major workshop on online strategies, online advertising."

Newspapers published for black audiences in the United States have a weekly audience of more than 15 million readers and are able to utilise their access to a unique market.

"We have a special relationship with a specialised market - therein some insulation," he said. "Our community values and needs the access we provide them."

The convention will also see the newspaper representative meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus.