It seems impossible not to come across a story each week that describes the woes of the newspaper industry.

The New York Times recently reported that, to make money, many newspapers are selling the buildings that served as their headquarters. The article mentions The Washington Post selling their headquarters in Arlington, Va., as an example. The more troubling part of that is that the building used for producing the paper could be worth more than the actual paper if it’s in a good location.

That same article states that the “August sale of The Washington Post for $250 million to Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, included more than 700,000 square feet of printing plants and warehouses and more than 60 acres of developable land, according to CoStar.”

Many newspapers across the country have already sold their properties, including The Times Argus, Seattle Times and San Jose Mercury News.

However, this change in the day-to-day operations could turn things around in some way. By selling enormous properties, they can move their operations into smaller venues, manage to make a profit, and not worry about ridiculous overhead costs.

The days of showing off grand structures are over. And are huge work spaces really necessary these days? Technology and smaller staffs make it much easier to use a smaller space.

What are your thoughts?

To read the Times article, please click here.