Old Media, New Threads

Print media, we all know, is in difficult times. Many publications, both newspapers and magazines, are seeing their readerships shrink.

So how about a t-shirt?

Rolling Stone is rolling out T-shirts adorned with some its famous covers--classic including Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and the Beatles--from the past 40 years, reports Women's Wear Daily.

The T-shirts cost $36 and come with a one-year subscription to the magazine. Hats, bags and backpacks inspired by Rolling Stone covers are also in the works.

Which begs the question: what could other media outlets do in similar fashion to boost readership?

The editor of Newsweek, who expressed frustration earlier this year that Columbia students were reading the Economist instead of his magazine, could try to strike back with hipster t-shirts and hoodies, modeled ala American Apparel. Of course, the apparel couldn't actually say Newsweek, but the vibe would be right.

The Wall Street Journal, to underscore that it is still the preeminent financial newspaper even as Rupert Murdoch makes changes to take on the New York Times, could offer power ties with live, solar-powered stock quotes.

The Times itself could give out shares of its stock with long-term subscriptions. It may not increase reader loyalty (the stock price is down 37 percent from a year ago), but it may help keep those pesky hedge funds out of its hair.

Or Time magazine, with a new O.J. Simpson trial fast approaching, could stir things up again with t-shirt of its controversial cover of Simpson's mug shot after his arrest in 1994. It could also offer a mirrored t-shirt, trading off its 2006 Person of the Year.

Alfonso Serrano F.

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