Sumner Redstone Says That All Newspapers Will Be Gone In Two Years

from the how's-that-crystal-ball dept

Mon, May 3rd 2010 5:44pm — Mike Masnick

Sumner Redstone, who controls both Viacom and CBS, apparently thinks that all newspapers will be gone in two years. We'll be sure to check back on this prediction at the end of April in 2012. That said, he's most likely correct in his criticism of Rupert Murdoch that he made a big mistake investing in print newspapers, but the claim that there "won't be any newspapers in two years," seems unlikely. Of course, it's also worth noting that Redstone predicted that he will live forever, so perhaps we can chalk all this up to octogenarian hyperbole. But, if I were a betting man and were to bet on who'd live longer: print newspapers or Sumner Redstone... I think I'd side with the newspapers.

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Filed Under: newspapers, sumner redstone

22 Comments

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abc gum, 3 May 2010 @ 5:49pm

One should not read too much into the Aztec calendar thing.
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- Fushta, 4 May 2010 @ 11:41am
  
  Re:
  What are these new-spa-pers? I know not of what you speak.
  
  Also, the best thing about a prediction is the day after...
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Tom Landry (profile), 3 May 2010 @ 6:05pm

Jesus Christ, is this old bastard still kicking?
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2010 @ 6:07pm

I think maybe main-stream news will be gone within two years. One can hope anyways.
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 3 May 2010 @ 6:14pm

Well...
"... but the claim that there "won't be any newspapers in two years," seems unlikely. Of course, it's also worth noting that Redstone predicted that he will live forever..."

If current trends continue...
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2010 @ 6:50pm

2012?

So the apocalypse will end all newspapers then.

Ohshitwait
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- Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2010 @ 7:03pm
  
  Re:
  I believe December of 2012 supposed to be the end of the world. So yes, it will end all newspapers and everything else as well. No Internet, no nothing.
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  - vyvyan, 3 May 2010 @ 7:29pm
    
    Re: Re:
    So, no one will report about biggest event on this eon?
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    - Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2010 @ 7:34pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      The aliens could I suppose, if they survive. Does anyone know if 2012 applies to aliens? Will they still be around?
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      - Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2010 @ 7:38pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re:
        I think 2012 is when some of the planets in our solar system line up or something, but it should only apply to life within our solar system. I suppose the answer depends on the extent that the aliens reside within our solar system or, if they reside elsewhere, whether or not the planets line up wherever they reside.
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        Hephaestus (profile), 4 May 2010 @ 7:31am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
        Actually Dec. 21, 2012 is the end of the mayan long count. Which is 5126 years long. Its not about the end of the world but a restart of the Mayan calendar
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  - John Fenderson (profile), 4 May 2010 @ 6:47am
    
    Re: Re:
    2012 is the end of the third ago of the Mayan calendar, and there is no fourth age. That's how it got to be associated with the end of the world. But there's such a large difference between the "end of the calendar" and the "end of time" that it's sad that we got it confused.
    
    Even the Mayans didn't think it was the end of the world. They thought it was the end of the old age, start of the new. Kinda like that whole "ago of Aquarius" thing.
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- Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2010 @ 7:10pm
  
  Re:
  Didn't the Y2K bug already destroy the world?
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  - Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2010 @ 7:20pm
    
    Re: Re:
    No, that just launched a couple of nukes at Canada. Nobody cared about them anyway.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2010 @ 7:51pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      Jimmy crack Canada and I don't care. j/k
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2010 @ 7:11pm

Even though I no longer subscribe to any newspapers, I don't believe all will be gone within two years. It seems a bit over the top to make this kind of a prediction.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2010 @ 9:17pm

As long as their are fish to wrap and dogs to potty train there will aways be a need for newspapers.
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- Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2010 @ 10:10pm
  
  Re:
  and houses to paint and bird cages to put them in and flies to swat and paper airplanes and whatnot.
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y0uf00bar, 3 May 2010 @ 9:28pm

Bye bye newspapers
Good riddence to newspapers. A total waste of trees
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Hephaestus (profile), 4 May 2010 @ 7:44am

" but the claim that there "won't be any newspapers in two years," seems unlikely. "

His time line of 2 years is a little off but the trend show that in less than a decade they will all be gone. Merging and consolidating wont save them. Peoples consumption and news habits are changing back to how we were before the printing press. Stuff that interests them, and stuff their friends tell them about is moving to the fore front. People dont realize they are making this change.

As they say you cant fight human nature.
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Ronald J Riley (profile), 4 May 2010 @ 8:10am

Numbers will be greatly thinned out.
I predict that most dailies will either die outright or become weekly publications while switching to mostly local daily coverage via the web. Furthermore, I suspect that just a few newspapers will continue as dailies specializing in regional or national coverage.

While the industry was imploding many print publications raised classified ad rates, driving clients to online sites. I think it is unlikely that they will ever recapture that business.

Ronald J. Riley,

Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
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get a life, 14 May 2010 @ 8:57am

all u people are weak! THE WORLD IS NOT GOIN TO END! get over yourselves
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