Oklahoma City paper revamps Money & Markets page

Don Mecoy, the business editor of The Oklahoman in Oklahoma City, writes about the changes to the paper’s Money & Markets page.

Mecoy writes, “That page, frequently referred to as the ‘stocks page’ by many of our readers, has shrunk over the years. Most newspapers, including The Oklahoman, used to carry multiple pages of stock and mutual fund listings and other charts. However, we and many of our colleagues have recognized that we no longer are the primary source of such daily information.

“It turns out there’s an app for that. In fact, there are scores of apps, websites (including NewsOK.com) and automated email services that offer up-to-the-second data on Wall Street.

“As noted in a graphic that appeared on Page 2C of the Business section on Tuesday, most Americans own a smartphone. According to the Pew Research Center, 90 percent of Americans own a cellphone, more than 6 in 10 own a laptop and nearly that many own a desktop computer.

“Most Americans age 65 and older are using the Internet, and that number is growing, Pew reported last year.

“Clearly, the number of readers we were serving with those dense charts is shrinking. For the many who get that information elsewhere, the Money & Markets page was becoming irrelevant.”

Read more here.