BoSacks Speaks Out at CRMA: Why Publishing's Future is a Choice, Not a Crisis

The Unavoidable Inflection Point:

The following is a synopsis of my keynote at CRMA.

Let’s cut to the chase. I'm tired of the handwringing and the endless debates. The publishing industry isn’t dying, it’s evolving. And like every great evolution I’ve witnessed, it rewards those who adapt and steamrolls those who cling to the past.

I’ve been on this stage for a long time. I stood in front of the CRMA back in 2008, and I told you then that online advertising was overtaking print. I warned that younger audiences were fundamentally reshaping media consumption and that you had to remember that journalism—the trust, the connection, the story, is your real product, not the paper it’s printed on.

That was then. A quaint time, in retrospect.

Fast-forward to today, and we’re all staring down the barrel of the biggest disruption yet: artificial intelligence. This time, it hasn’t just knocked on the door. It’s moved in, rearranged the furniture, and is already drafting the next chapter of our industry, whether you like it or not.

What Hasn't Changed, And Why It's Your Only Lifeline

I look around, and I see that local, niche, and regional magazines are still here. You haven't survived by accident. You've thrived because you offer something irreplaceable in a world of noise: trust. Authenticity. A direct, unbreakable connection to the communities you serve. You are the trusted voice in a sea of digital chaos.

But let me be clear: nostalgia doesn’t pay the bills. The muscle memory of how things used to be done won't protect you from irrelevance. Digital integration isn’t an option anymore; it’s the bare minimum. Adaptation isn’t a suggestion, it is the only definition of survival.

The AI Tipping Point is in Your Rear-View Mirror

Let's talk about the elephant that's no longer just in the newsroom but is actively rewriting the code: AI.

For too long, we've debated whether AI is ethical, practical, or "real" journalism. Newsflash: AI doesn't care. It doesn't wait for industry panels to validate its usefulness. It is here, now. It's no longer just a clumsy tool for recommending shoes you don’t need. It’s thinking. It’s reasoning. It’s mimicking, and in some cases, surpassing human creativity.

Look at tools like Google’s Veo, which can generate stunningly realistic video from a simple line of text. AI is writing code, designing marketing campaigns, and making strategic decisions that were once the exclusive domain of human publishers. It is already being used to write, design, and strategize. To ignore this is to choose ignorance.

The Real Battle: Our Ethics, Our Economics, Our Ownership

This isn’t just about fancy new technology. This is about power. It’s about who owns the future of information.

• The Ethical Heist: AI models are being built on the back of our life's work, on the content that you and I create, often without credit, consent, or compensation. It's an appropriation of intellectual property on a scale we've never seen.
• The Legal Chaos: Our regulations are trailing years behind the innovation. Lawmakers are playing catch-up while AI developers are moving at light speed.
• The Economic Shift: AI-driven industries are now worth hundreds of billions of dollars, a value derived from our work. Meanwhile, we're left scrambling, asking: How do we protect our archives? How do we get paid for our work when AI can replicate it in seconds?

Groups like the Magazine Coalition, led by Michael Simon, are on the front lines, fighting to defend our rights. They are demanding a seat at the table, but let's be blunt: AI isn't pausing for our legal challenges or ethical debates. It just moves forward.

You Have Two Paths. Choose Wisely.

Right now, every single one of you is making a choice, whether you realize it or not. You are choosing between two guiding philosophies:

1. The Way of Aristotle: Believing that "Excellence is never an accident." It is the result of intention, effort, and intelligent direction.
2. The Way of Mediocrates: Shrugging your shoulders and saying, "It's good enough."

If you think "good enough" will carry you through the next decade, you are fundamentally mistaken. You are choosing obsolescence.

My Strategy for Your Survival

Here’s the brutal truth I've learned from decades of watching media giants fall: if your strategy revolves around preserving your current business model, you have already lost. The only way forward is through reinvention.

AI is not the enemy. Indifference is the enemy. AI is the most powerful amplifier we have ever been given. The publishers who treat it as an ally, who use it to extend their reach, to refine their audience insights, to augment their creativity, and to elevate their storytelling—will be the ones left standing when the dust settles.

Use it to personalize content. Use it to analyze data and find stories no one else can. Use it to free up your best journalists from mundane tasks so they can do what only humans can: build trust and connect with your community.

My Final Word: No More Illusions

This isn't a trend. It's an upheaval. The genie is out of the bottle, the game is changing, and the rules are being rewritten in real-time by a force that doesn't sleep.

You face a binary choice: Adapt or disappear.

The publishers who survive won't be the ones who hesitated, who waited for permission, or who hoped this would all blow over. They will be the ones who led, with courage, with foresight, and with the common sense to see the world for what it is, not what they wish it was.

I’ll see you at the edge.