News
Archant launches Norwich Extra
Archant has announced the launch of Norwich Extra – a new free weekly paper for the city of Norwich, focused on helping residents decide where to go, what to buy and what to do that weekend.
News Media
The newspaper business was built for a world where one product served everyone and advertising paid for most of it. That model has gone. What replaces it is still being worked out title by title, from national groups to weeklies covering a single town.
Reader revenue is the clearest shift. Even Reach, which argued for free access for years, now puts some of its journalism behind a paywall, and the regional titles doing best changed their newsrooms before they asked anyone to pay. Ownership keeps changing too. National World rebuilt local editorships after years of centralisation, and the Observer is being reinvented as a premium print and digital title under new owners.
The strongest publishers understand the difference because they are not trying to be everything to everyone. They are trying to be essential to someone.
Chris Sherrard News media
Local news is where the pressure shows most. Millions of people now live without a dedicated local title, and new reader-funded and membership startups are moving into the gaps. Platforms are pulling back from news at the same time, which leaves trust and a direct relationship with readers as the assets that matter most.
Print hasn't disappeared either. Well-run weeklies still hold on to their readers, with circulation falling slowly while digital audiences grow.
Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on news media, from reader revenue and newsroom change to ownership, local news and trust, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.
Essential Resources
FEATURE
Returning to growth
Where is the growth opportunity for today’s publishers? Douglas McCabe tracks how the commercial model has evolved over the past fifty years and examines whether a better understanding of what online audiences want, will help drive future growth.
Best Practice in Publishing
News media
We asked Chris Sherrard, editor-in-chief of The Irish News, what does best practice publishing look like in news media? This is what he said…
INTERVIEW
Stand and deliver!
After years of resisting paywalls, Reach is now launching them across its titles. But David Higgerson, Reach’s chief content officer, carefully avoided the word ‘U-turn’ when interviewed by Steve Dyson.
INTERVIEW
Change before charge
It’s one thing to think that readers should pay for your journalism, but the reality is that unless you improve your offering, then you will struggle to start charging for it, as DC Thomson Editor-in-Chief Frank O’Donnell tells Ciar Byrne.
INTERVIEW
Ditching the generic
How can you edit a regional newspaper when you never visit the area you’re writing about? By filling it with generic content, an approach that National World’s David Montgomery, the new owner of JPI Media, is rapidly doing away with.
INTERVIEW
The Observer’s premium future
Ray Snoddy talks to Co-CEO Rich Furness about the thinking behind Tortoise Media’s acquisition of the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper and about their plans for its future.
FEATURE
Opportunities & Threats: National News Media
What’s the outlook for national news media in 2024? Christian Broughton, CEO of The Independent, looks ahead.
FEATURE
Breathing new life into local media
There is a new generation of entrepreneurs launching local media businesses, bringing with them new ideas on business models and funding. Phil Clark looks at some of the stand-out examples.
OPINION
We Need Trusted News Brands Now More Than Ever
With Meta backing away from ‘news’ and AI accelerating the growth of disinformation, we need to redouble our efforts to safeguard access to quality journalism, says News Media Association Chief Executive Owen Meredith.
OUT & ABOUT WITH ALAN GEERE
Weekly does it
East Lothian is not just the best place to live – it has the best newsbrand too. Alan Geere heads over the border to find out what’s happening in the world of Scottish weeklies.
All Articles
News
Mail Brands appoints Head Of Sales
Mail Brands UK, the sales team for Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, MailOnline and Metro.co.uk yesterday announced the appointment of Jane Putley as Head of Sales.
News
Dark Social dominates UK mobile sharing activity
The way Britons share and interact with online content on smartphones is dominated by Dark Social channels according to a new report from marketing technology firm, RadiumOne.
News
Silver Surfers spend more time on tablets than 15-year-olds
Research from the IPA, released this week, shows that the older demographic are spending an increased amount of time on handheld devices.
News
NUJ: Photographers bear brunt in new round of cuts
A new round of redundancies has been announced at the Manchester Evening News (MEN) and Huddersfield Examiner as part of Trinity Mirror's re-organisation plans, says the NUJ.
News
Sun relaunches website
Yesterday, The Sun unveiled its new website, which it says is bolder, bigger and brighter than ever before.
News
Mail Brands strengthens Partnership Team
Mail Brands UK's Partnership Team has announced the promotion of Louise Rogers to Partnership Director and the appointment of Charlotte Taylor as Strategy Director.
News
ESI Media partners with 888sport.com for Euro 2016 activity
ESI Media has announced a multi-platform partnership with 888sport.com across the London Evening Standard and The Independent.
News
dmg media announces senior technology leadership appointments
dmg media yesterday announced the appointment of Heather Utech as Chief Technology Officer, Commercial and confirms the permanent appointment of Grant Alston as Director of IT Operations.
News
JICWEBS: announces industry move to tackle video viewability
The UK’s Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards (JICWEBS) – the independent body that defines best practice and standards for online ad trading – has announced the next stage in the move to address online viewability.
News
Johnston Press launches new digital initiative
Johnston Press yesterday unveiled ‘We Are Digital’ – what it describes as a significant new initiative designed to accelerate the growth of its brands online.
News
Pangaea Alliance announces The Week as new inventory partner
The Week is joining the Pangaea Alliance from June, and will sit alongside the Guardian, FT, The Economist and others, in one global programmatic proposition.
News
FT throws Brussels bash for bureau chiefs
On 1 June, Financial Times editor Lionel Barber and news editor Peter Spiegel hosted a reception for 150 VIP guests at the historic Halles Saint-Géry in Brussels.
VIEW FROM THE STATES
‘Ad-Blockalypse’? What About Social Hijacking?
If I had a dollar for every article about ad blocking that’s been published in the last year, writes Karlene Lukovitz, I’d be spending my time deciding which tropical paradise to retire to.
FEATURE
Gender imbalance
Is the disproportionate number of pictures of un-newsworthy women in our national press an essential circulation prop or a demeaning way to treat half their potential readership? Or both? Liz Gerard investigates.
