As a former reporter and editor, and now media consultant, I have watched with great interest (and sadness) as the media have slowly crumbled in recent years. Thousands of print and broadcast reporters have lost their jobs, dozens of newspapers and magazines have folded, many more have stopped printing seven days a week. For sure the economy is to blame, but it’s not the whole story. I argue that the economy has just expedited the current state of the media….but that’s another story.

But, it’s not ALL bad news, especially for you. The down economy may be dominating the news, but it is also having a major impact on the news business itself. And that means good news for you. Now is actually a great time to use the media to communicate your message. The economy is forcing many newspapers and TV stations to cut their staffs, making it much easier for companies and organizations to get positive stories in print and on the air…if they know how to do it.

But it’s not all good news, smaller newsrooms have led to an increase in easy-to-report and sensationalized crisis-related stories (fires, explosions, fraud, recalls, work-place violence, etc.). Don’t get caught unprepared if that crisis hits your company!

Anthony Huey is President of Reputation Management, LLC, one of the nation’s leading media training, speech coaching and crisis consulting companies.