Editor and Publisher has a pretty interesting story today on the newspaper industry in Florida and how one of the states that have historically been most hospitable to newspapers has become a much tougher environment.

It's a long piece, but it tells a simple story: Florida newspapers are getting squeezed by the implosion of the real estate market, the disintegrating classified ads business, rising newsprint prices and an audience that is aging faster than it is growing.

Besides talking about the recent reductions we've been implementing in staff and size of the paper, the piece also references cuts at Media General's Tampa news operations, especially the Tribune, and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune down south.

Newspapers' biggest problems right now are that nearly all the methods in which we have traditionally made money are under challenge. Advertising is down, classified is down, readership is flat or declining and new platforms such as the Web and TBT depend on the reporting resources of the newspaper newsroom without generating the necessary profits to help keep all the staffing.

I'm not sure anyone in the country has found a solution. I do know that, as cool as it would be to see folks in the community rally by purchasing a newspaper subscription or two, what newspapers really need is for advertisers to purchase more ads -- including those of you who might place a classified ad.

In other words, if you really believe in newspapers and want to see them continue, you might help most by turning away from Craigslist and Monster.com and paying to place your help wanted, car for sale and apartment for rent ads in your local daily.

It won't be free, or close to it. But you will help save an important informational resource.