But if PR industry’s sustainability is based largely on earnings from publicity endeavour, where does it stand if the news media mainstay, newsprint, is being killed off, as many predict?

If there’s little or no news media to influence, what has PR got to offer? Where does that leave the PR industry? Hungry and cold until journalism finds an economically sustainable delivery mechanism possessing the gravity of its previous printed form, so warranting the attentions of specialist PR support?

Strange as it may seem, the decay of mainstream news media makes PR even more important. As channels multiply and conversations diffuse, managing things like reputation and stakeholder opinions gets tougher.

In the good old days news media held all the cards. It was the best way to get information to the masses and, consequently, it captured undivided attention. But the web changed the rules. Conversations take place in the shadows and individuals choose their own opinion shapers. People are listening to many more voices and tuning in and out as they please. Just look at how seven-times Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong uses Twitter to manage his reputation and dilute the influence of mainstream news media. His fans no longer require news media to stay informed. And brand Armstrong can listen to his fans and get inside their heads.

PR’s role as a listener, watcher and storyteller remains unchanged. It’s just that the form these things take is changing. And just because the outputs aren’t as frequently seen in the news media, that doesn’t make them any less valuable.

What will they look like and how much will they cost? Right now, I can’t tell you. Asking these questions will illuminate the ballpark:

• Who are the people important to you?
• What do they think about?
• What would you like them to think?
• What needs to change before they believe?
• Where and when are they looking to hear from you?