Future May Be Digital, But Newspapers Still Hit Home

It’s a tantalizing prospect: the flexibility and portability of a newspaper, combined with a computer’s capacity to talk to the outside world.

Someday, perhaps in the not-too-distant future, people could be carrying around a clear plastic sheet that looks and feels like paper but does much, much more.

As commuters speed to work on the morning train, a satellite would beam up-to-the-minute stock prices into their hands. On the sports page, they could tap on a picture to see a video clip of the game-winning basket, or reserve a cinema seat after checking out the movie listings in the entertainment section.

When the Internet arrived, many people predicted the death of newspapers. After all, who would cling to hand-dirtying, outdated news when a real-time alternative is readily available on a computer?

But newspapers and magazines are still here. When it comes to electronic paper, the mantra is “adapt,” not “replace.”

That means giving people what they like about the newspaper, with the advantages of the Internet.

Kenneth Bronfin, senior vice president at Hearst Corp.’s interactive media operation, says newspapers still do one thing computers might never be able to match: knowing the communities they serve.