* By 2050, the U.S. will no longer have a majority racial or ethnic group.
* 70 million people over the age of 55 comprise 23.4% of U.S. population.
* Hispanics are now 15.4% of the U.S., blacks are 12.8% and the foreign born are 11.1%.

By JOE GRIMM

OAKLAND, Calif. — News media may be throwing out the very tools that could help them survive as they fight for their futures.

Those tools are attentiveness to audience and diversity.

Larry Olmstead, president of Leading Edge Associates said, “Where media is and is not is largely a shortcoming of our inability to understand the audience and audience needs.”

A former Knight Ridder and newsroom executive, Olmstead is completing a study about the state of journalistic diversity for UNITY: Journalists of Color.

Olmstead said that he is not finding as much newsroom diversity retrenchment as some fear, but that the situation appears to be stagnant and that, with the population and audience needs changing rapidly, “No gain means losing ground.” He spoke at an Oct. 9-10 conference, “Rethinking Journalism Through the Lens of Diversity.” It was sponsored by San Francisco State University’s Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism.

Olmstead laid out many of today’s sweeping demographic changes, including those at the top of this article, and then cited some success stories outside of journalism. Olmstead and seminar participants said time and again that diversity is not a numbers game and is based on a broad definition, honest inclusion and deep listening.

Larry Olmstead: “The perspective is that with the economy struggling, this is one of the first things jettisoned (in news companies). In many other companies struggling with tough times, diversity is one of the first places to turn to increase market share.”

Olmstead said, “all roads, in our view lead to a discussion of who’s out there? Understanding audience/customer needs is a vital component of strategic innovation, entrepreneurship and diversity work.” He maintained that “study after study has identified customer or audience focus as a key to business and leadership success.”

Olmstead pointed to Verizon, McDonald’s and CNN as three companies that have responded to economic challenge by strengthening ties to their audiences, rather than cutting them, as some newsrooms have done.

Successful companies, Olmstead outlined:

• Discover audience needs in two-way dialogue with customers, in the language the customer prefers
  
• Link diversity to business strategy clearly and explicitly.
  
• Include diversity principles in day-to-day decision-making about products and services
  
• Test products and services rigorously with minority communities before launch
  
• Have a strong passion for diversity at the CEO level and other places of influence.
  

“Ten years ago, McDonald’s was struggling.” he said. “They went to the female franchise owners to find solutions. In 2008, they were one of Wall Street’s success stories.”

Foreshadowing the report he will give to UNITY — but you will find now spoilers here:

• Diversity/inclusion editors must become strategic and results oriented.
  
• Increased customer focus is paramount, including the will and skill to engage customers in an authentic two-way dialogue with customers.
  
• Organizations that are inclusive in perception and subtance will have a competitive advantage.

  The full report should offer specifics about where the news media are and recommendations for a road forward.

  Also from the conference:
  Journalism jobs down; J-school enrollment may slip, too.

  
  (Disclosure: A Ford Foundation grant paid for me to be at this conference and I have known Larry Olmstead since I began working with him at the Detroit Free Press in 1983. — Joe Grimm)

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