Fine! How are you?

In this season of contract renewals and new business pitches, the question I hear most often is, "How are you guys doing in this economy?".

And, yes, we are doing fine. Thank you for asking.

I am more and more convinced that specialty and niche publications -- especially those which are not completely giving themselves away online --will survive and even thrive, despite the competition from the plethora of media options available.

The key is not to embrace new tachnology with so much gusto that you end up without a core product any longer. And it's not to pretend those options don't exist.

The key, it seems to me, is to to embrace new technology as an enhancement to your core print product without losing focus. It's the Wall Street Journal model vs. the New York Times model. Those people who need the information you provide to thrive in their business will pay for it. But if you give it away in one medium, while continuing to ask for payment in another... Well, human nature is human nature.

At the Grand Rapids Business Journal, the weekly print product remains the core of our business. Print subscribers also receive free online access to www.grbj.com where every story and column is reproduced, along with daily breaking news and "web exclusive" stories. it's a complete package that works together. One does not compete with the other.

Even our local daily paper continues to throw everything online for free, while losing subscribers every day. This forces them to raise subscription rates, which encourages more pople to cancel their subscriptions. This is the very definition of "unsustainable".

And, yes, we have a Facebook presence. We Tweet on Twitter. We send email blasts. And we'll embrace the next wave of new technology as we have the current options. But the core product -- the newspaper -- continues to be well read, valued, trusted and relied upon.

We can't ask for much more than that.