The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Craig R. McCoy reports on a recent special commission report on the problem and some suggested solutions. In a city where street wisdom warns that “snitches get stitches,” this is an encouraging development.

Gawker’s Hamilton Nolan’s theory of the paywall suggests a local paper of high caliber can survive erecting a paywall.

Maybe he is right, but can two local papers survive?

It will be good to see the Inquirer and the Daily News broken out into their own websites, if only for the fact that they have very different voices. But, as Philly.com is currently an amalgam of the two, with its own original content as well, I’m curious to see what it will look like after the websites split.

Joel Mathis, writing at Philadelphia Magazine‘s blog The Philly Post, may have a point. But going online-only would require a serious modernization of the Philly.com brand and site design.

I don’t see the ownership having the vision to invest in either branding or a design refresh, and if they do, I’m not confident they’ll pick the right people for the job. I hope I’m wrong, because the only sure thing about Philly’s major papers these days is that something needs to change fast.

Jim Romenesko, quoting the letter from Bob Hall, CEO at Interstate General Media, which owns Philly’s major papers:

We must produce products that reflect the needs of our readers, viewers, advertisers and future prospective customers. This is essential if we are to increase the total audience that we reach and to provide the consumer superior content, whenever, however (multi-products), and in whatever format desired. It is becoming even more important to be relevant, useful and timely via the applications that are utilized by our customers.

If Hall means what he says, and is well-informed, he’ll approach people like the folks who run Technically Media—people who are connected to what 21st-century journalism is shaping up to be.

In related news, read the response of the Newspaper Guild, as posted by Philly Mag’s Victor Fiorillo, [here][blogs.phillymag.com/the_phill...](http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/2012/08/08/28-million-cuts-proposed-philadelphia-inquirer-daily-news/.)