Trade group the Newspaper Association of America has dropped "newspaper" from its name and re-branded as the News Media Alliance in a bid to highlight the industry’s “evolution” to digital content.
The Arlington, Va.-based group of 2,000 member organizations is unveiling the change today, including a full-page ad in the New York Times depicting a millennial girl reading a digital tablet. “All industries periodically face disruptive market and technology changes, and like many others before us, I believe we will come out of it stronger,” said NMA president and CEO David Chavern.
While the Internet and digital content have hammered newspaper circulations, the industry says it is optimistic that there is a larger consumer audience for news.
The trade group is also opening up to members primarily based in digital media and will overhaul its annual trade show, slated for New Orleans in 2017 to focus on the future of news media. Membership has slipped by about 700 organizations over the past eight years.
Michael MaLoon, VP for innovation for the NMA, said the name change is “designed to show the positive trajectory of the industry and to share the innovation and growth taking place, especially in the digital space.”
Chavern told the Times: "'Newspaper' is not a big enough word to describe the industry anymore. The future of this industry is much broader."
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