Newspapers aren't taking digital age seriously?

http://www.najp.org/articles/2008/02/crisis-what-crisis.html

I found this article on Romenesko. The author basically says that newspapers are falling further behind the curve online by understaffing digital media departments and continuing to treat their websites as afterthoughts. It brings up some pretty good points about how newspaper websites don't have the traffic-building expertise as digital pros like Google and Monster, and as a result are losing readership online. It's a battle newspapers simply can't afford to lose if they're going to survive.

I bring it up because The Arizona Republic is currently in the process of redesigning Azcentral and revamping the way Azcentral is programmed. I don't know for sure how the new system will work, but I can say that it apparently becomes more user-friendly (no manual HTML coding necessary) which should allow online producers and other staff members to upload content faster and with less possibility for error. They also get online editors into budget meetings and they help plan coverage alongside the print guys, giving input on how the website could enhance stories with multimedia packages such as embedded videos, slideshows, and even maps pinpointing where something happened.

It's interesting to see these changes happening. I think one advantage that Azcentral or any other state or county newspaper has over sites like Yahoo and Google is its local appeal. Arizona readers will go to Azcentral before other more popular news sites because they know they can find local stories that affect them. When Azcentral tries to go with big national news instead, it loses that appeal. People will go to CNN or MSNBC for election coverage, or ESPN for Super Bowl coverage, unless we can find a way to introduce an element to that coverage that those other sites don't have. For the election, maybe it's message boards where people can talk about the candidates and issues. For the Super Bowl, maybe it's photos or blogs that cover the event from the ground level. It's all about providing something that people can't get anywhere else. That will be the key to driving traffic as newspapers attempt to catch up to the online giants.