Print Newspapers will Die – Examining the Rhetoric in the Context of Bangladesh

Abstract

This study has tried to explore the perception of the news managers working in media houses of Bangladesh on the future of print media in the country. The study has taken Displacement Theory and Constancy Hypothesis as its frameworks, and the author has conducted in-depth interviews of 10 news managers from newspapers, television channels and online portals of Bangladesh. This discussion has developed five broad themes regarding the perception of news managers of the country on the future of print media: diverse understanding towards an uncertain future; only corporate interest matter; (arguably, print is) still a relevant medium; innovations and ideas matter more than investment; and towards a solution: converge and evolve to survive. The key findings of this study are: i) News managers perceive varied forecast regarding the existence or extinction of print media in Bangladesh; ii) Most of them see the printed newspapers as a necessary and relevant medium so far; and iii) According to the news managers of the country, print media houses should be convergent and must offer special and exclusive features to their audiences in order to survive in the present age of online and digital media.