News
Nottingham Post appoints Mike Sassi
Mike Sassi has been appointed publisher of the Nottingham Post.
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
RadiumOne snags WPP exec for EMEA mobile programmatic role
Former WPP executive Jonathan Tom has been appointed by programmatic media specialists RadiumOne to head up their Mobile Programmatic offering across EMEA.
News
Winners announced for Newsworks Planning Awards 2015
Newsworks has announced the winners of its 2015 Planning Awards, chosen by a jury of 14 client and agency judges, led by Jan Gooding, group brand director at Aviva.
News
DMGT publishes Full Year Preliminary Results
DMGT has reported underlying revenue growth of 1% to £1,845m in in the Group's unaudited Full Year preliminary results for the year ended 30 September 2015. Adjusted profit before tax of £281m is down 4%.
FEATURE
The Battle for Berkshire
Trinity Mirror’s digital-only project in Berkshire has triggered the launch of a new print title, while a competing newspaper’s sales are up more than 50%. Steve Dyson reports.
HEAD TO HEAD
Is the Trinity Mirror takeover of Local World a good thing? No!
Alan Geere thinks that the recent takeover of Local World, by Trinity Mirror, is NOT a good thing...
HEAD TO HEAD
Is the Trinity Mirror takeover of Local World a good thing? Yes!
Neil Fowler thinks that the recent takeover of Local World, by Trinity Mirror, is a good thing...
FEATURE
Mobile – why do some publishers still not get it?
The move to mobile should not be taking us by surprise. The writing has been on the wall for years, yet, as an industry, we continue to be wrong-footed by developments in the mobile space. Martin Belam urges publishers to eat, sleep and breathe mobil
FEATURE
FoI Under Threat
The Freedom of Information Act came into force in January 2005. One decade on, how is FoI viewed by politicians and publishers? Jon Slattery investigates.
FEATURE
Social media – newspapers’ frenemy
Many newspapers rely on social media to drive traffic to their sites, yet recent initiatives by the social media giants suggest that they not only want to have their cake, but they want to eat it too. What should newspapers do? David Benady reports.
RESEARCH
AOP Content and Trends Census 2015
The seventh annual AOP Content and Trends Census points to a digital sector focused on data and multiplatform integration, whilst not forgetting the elephant in the room – ad blocking. Tim Cain summarises the main findings of the research.
REVIEW
SoE Conference 2015 – the main talking points
In October, the Society of Editors held its annual conference at Stationers’ Hall in London. The big issues discussed included press regulation (again), freedom of information, the BBC and paywalls. Ray Snoddy was taking notes.
News
Soft Censorship Eroding Media Freedom in Montenegro
‘Soft’ censorship is quickening an already serious decline in media independence in Montenegro. This is the conclusion of a new report published today by WAN-IFRA, the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), and the Montenegrin Centre for C
News
The Comment Awards 2015 - winners revealed
Following what the organisers say was a record intake of nominations from readers, writers and editors all over the country, the winners of The Comment Awards 2015 were revealed at a special awards ceremony this morning.
News
ABC issues new industry report for online ad viewability
ABC has issued its second industry report which compares test results for online ad viewability measurement products.
