With the advent of news on mobile devices, the public relations industry as a whole shrugged. Then they started hemorrhaging money left and right. Pundits and prognosticators weighed in, predicting DOOM for the Traditional Media. New media, they presumed, was king. People didn’t want Old Media anymore when they could get it on their phones. But, trends are not always to be trusted. Rumors of News’ death may have been premature.

While the momentum is still decidedly on the side of New Media News, at least one contender to the throne of Tomorrow’s Media has fallen from contention. Former New Media Cinderella “Circa News” recently reported that it would be putting its news app on “indefinite hiatus.” That, usually, is code for “we’re done with this.” It’s almost always cheaper and more profitable to come up with a new idea than to try to resurrect a proven loser.

Then again, Circa News may not really have been a bad idea. It may have just been too expensive for its developers to continue to produce. That’s the current story being floated, anyway. The promise had been “breaking news faster and better and more mobile-friendly than ever before…” then they ran out of cash and had to pull the plug.
Wait, you argue, isn’t there more cash out there for a concept with some momentum behind it? Usually, yes. Unless that idea is going nowhere.

In their swan song missive, the decision makers at Circa divulged a fact all media tycoons understand – real news is expensive to produce. Here’s what Circa’s CEO Matt Galligan had to say:

“Producing high-quality news can be a costly endeavor and without the capital necessary to support further production we are unable to continue.”

This is the dynamic all digital news agencies and app producers have to face. The news business is hard, profit is tough to come by and making it work on a reasonable budget is next to impossible. Competition is fierce, and the public appetite is immediate. Delays don’t just cost money, they kill companies.

At the center of all of those dynamics is the reader. The fickle, ever-changing reader. There was a time when media control was absolute. Now a single-menu restaurant has become an all you can eat buffet of options. To be consumed, media has to be chosen. That means media – both old and new – is subject to the same dynamics that govern the marketing of any other high-competition product or service. Those who figure out how to work within that paradigm will survive. Those who ignore it, favorable winds or otherwise, will sink.

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Ronn Torossian is the Founder & Chairman of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently owned PR firms in the United States. Since founding 5WPR in 2003, he has led the company's growth and vision, with the agency earning accolades including being named a Top 50 Global PR Agency by PRovoke Media, a top three NYC PR agency by O'Dwyers, one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces and being awarded multiple American Business Awards, including a Stevie Award for PR Agency of the Year. With over 25 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America's most prolific and well-respected public relations executives. Throughout his career he has advised leading and high-growth businesses, organizations, leaders and boards across corporate, technology and consumer industries. Torossian is known as one of the country's foremost experts on crisis communications. He has lectured on crisis PR at Harvard Business School, appears regularly in the media and has authored two editions of his book, "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations," which is an industry best-seller. Torossian's strategic, resourceful approach has been recognized with numerous awards including being named the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, the American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year, twice over, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist, a Top Crisis Communications Professional by Business Insider, Metropolitan Magazine's Most Influential New Yorker, and a recipient of Crain's New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Outside of 5W, Torossian serves as a business advisor to and investor in multiple early stage businesses across the media, B2B and B2C landscape. Torossian is the proud father of two daughters. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a board member of multiple not for profit organizations.