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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
What’s the outlook for national news media in 2024? Christian Broughton, CEO of The Independent, looks ahead.
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.
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.
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.
Publishers have seen huge change over the last five years, especially in the digital space. Martin Maynard asks Andreas Schrader, CEO of vjoon, how his company has faced the challenge of digital and finds out what benefits they have been able to deli
2014 sees predicted growth in digital revenues, similar to the trend of the last three to four years, amongst the UK’s leading digital publishers, according to the results of the latest AOP Organisation Census, with data monetisation emerging as a ke
Editors are busy shaping the skills needed for digitally-led newsrooms in the belief that online publishing will become profitable. Steve Dyson reports from the Society of Editors Regional Conference.
Publishers launch things. That’s what they do! Launches are the beating heart of the industry. Ten years ago, launches were mainly print, whilst now they are as likely to be digital, but either way, launches are still the lifeblood of publishing and
At Shift 2014, Newsworks’ second annual conference, held at the British Library on 10 April, all eyes were on new Telegraph boss, Jason Seiken. What surprises would he spring and what clues would he give as to the Telegraph’s digital future? Ray Snod
Top leaders of the UK publishing industry were brought together on 14 May, by digital advertising company Vibrant Media, in partnership with the Association of Online Publishers, to determine the key principles of responsible, revenue generating nati
The Association of Online Publishers (AOP) has announced the shortlist for its annual Digital Publishing Awards.
Prime Minister David Cameron has given his backing to this year’s Local Newspaper Week citing the power of local newspaper campaigning, as nearly 12,000 votes are cast in Making a Difference public vote for the best local newspaper campaign.
Informa’s 2013 CR report has been published giving details of the company’s sustainability programme. The programme, named by employees as “Louder than Words”, has 4 key priorities - Content, People, Environment and Community.
The Times and The Sunday Times are introducing two new digital packs - the Digital Pack Premium and Ultimate Pack Premium. Both packs will come with a complimentary iPad mini 16GB.
70 Fathoms has agreed a partnership with AtTask - a user-friendly, easy-to-deploy tool for managing marketing campaigns and resources.
Wave2 Media Solutions, the UK-based publishing software specialist, has announced that its AdPortal self-service advertising solution has now gone live in Auto Trader South Africa where it is already being used by over 300 motor and truck dealers.
Yesterday, Carphone Warehouse announced a six month partnership with Metro. The activity is designed to position Carphone Warehouse beyond pure mobile retailing and starts to place it in a wider connected technology context.
Imagine Publishing and its newest knowledge magazine, World of Animals, today announced a new anti-poaching awareness campaign in partnership with the Ol Pejeta Conservancy based in Laikipia, Kenya.
CN Group has selected alfaMedia’s OpenMedia system to facilitate its further development as a multi-media publisher.
