Death Notices: A Dying Art

A Dying Art…

People have recently been shocked by the announcement of cuts to TV News at Newshub, and then by the announcement that there would be cuts at TVNZ. I suppose we shouldn’t be at all surprised; an institution funded by advertising revenue is always going to be at the mercy of the mighty dollar.

Remember the song, “Video killed the Radio Star”? Well, something similar can be said about news broadcasts on both TV and radio. But in this case, it’s not video that is the killer, it’s the internet. Advertisers need to get their message to where the people are at in real time. That used to be in front of the TV, and before TV took hold, it was the radio. But now we have instant and continuous information at our fingertips, with platforms such as Netflix, TV on Demand and websites such as Stuff, so there are fewer people watching real-time television anymore.

Obviously, the advertisers have worked that out and have moved their advertising to on-line platforms. The world has changed; people have changed; media used to be TV, radio and newspapers. Now it covers a gazillion things, including a category called “social media”, which ironically is the total opposite of “social” – but don’t get me started on that.

So why am I bringing this up? Well, two words; “Death Notices”. Three, if you count “Obituary”. Once upon a time, when communities were geographical entities, the community was informed of the death of one of its members by way of a notice in the local newspaper. Prominent figures in the community were given special treatment with an “obituary”.

Nowadays, it may seem a little macabre to go through the death notices. Mind you, a lot of comedians and famous personalities have said they enjoy reading them, because if their name isn’t in there, they can all breathe easy for another day. But there are fewer and fewer death notices these days.

Again, I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised – printed newspaper circulation is way down on what it used to be. Newspapers that used to be the size of two seats on a bus, have shrunk down to half-size, then down to magazine size, and of course now you can see the news of the world laid out before you on your smartphone. Or your watch. (Alright, I’m guilty!)

It’s a sign of the times, and our culture. People are more mobile, move cities, move countries, so where do you publish a death notice? Why even bother? And how much do you spend on a newspaper notice that members of the community may not ever see? For someone in their nineties, they have already outlasted many of their peers. People move into rest homes, and have a new, smaller kind of community, but some can find themselves losing touch with the outside world and the communities they used to be active in.

Eventually, death notices in newspapers will, well, die out. It has been a great tradition, but traditions can change form without losing their meaning. I still appreciate death notices, but I have to admit that I only ever read them on-line. Rather than losing the tradition altogether, I always encourage people to adopt the modern formats that fit with the new understanding of the broader concept of community; more of “the global village” than just “the village”.

Most funeral homes offer the option of traditional print media, and this is still particularly relevant to older people. That comes at a cost, but often has the on-line option for no extra cost. Many funeral homes will offer to publish death notices on an on-line platform, and these can be free (costs covered by advertisers on those platforms). I have no preference of, or allegiance to, any particular platform, but I do know the “Nelson App” is widely used in our Nelson/Tasman region. And dare I say it, many people probably use tasteful Facebook “posts” to notify their friends and family of the death of someone in their community.

While the format is changing, I hope the concept of “death notices” continues. It’s a valuable reminder of the connections we have with each other, in a world where everyone is drifting further apart.