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.
Future plc has announced a strategic partnership with Times Internet – the largest Indian digital network – to launch its major international consumer technology news and reviews brand in India.
Aspermont Media, a global B2B publisher for the mining industry, has completed its migration to Abacus e-Media’s ADvance audience development platform.
The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), the trade association for the software and digital content industries, yesterday announced that it will hold the Digital Media Innovation Conference on April 7-8 at One Wimpole Street in Londo
Richard Fletcher started yesterday as Business Editor of The Times. He joins from The Daily Telegraph where he was Editor of Telegraph.co.uk for two years having previously been City Editor.
Last week, the ABC published the January circulation figures for national newspapers.
Students at the West Suffolk College, in Bury St Edmunds, are hoping their “acorns” of ideas will develop into flourishing “oaks” of initiatives as part of an innovative project which will lead to them taking over Archant Suffolk’s Bury St Edmunds Me
Telegraph Media Group (TMG) has partnered with Hyundai Motor UK to produce an innovative video-led campaign, which launched on Saturday, 15th February, to promote its New Generation i10 model.
Guardian Media Group (GMG), the global news and digital publishing group, is strengthening its digital portfolio, with a strategic investment in Decoded, the code and data education and digital transformation company.
Air Business has cemented its strategic partnership with the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) for the fifth consecutive year.
GamesMaster, Future’s all-format games magazine, has announced the appointment of Joel Gregory as Editor.
The ABC yesterday released the consumer magazine circulation results for the July – December 2013 period and publishers have responded with their interpretation of the figures.
Described as “The New Way to Read”, Readly announces its official entry into the UK today.
The Financial Times today unveils its largest global campaign to promote FT Weekend, its Saturday and Sunday edition. The campaign includes a standalone FT Weekend subscription.
The Drum Online Media Awards 2014, which seek to recognise journalistic excellence in digital journalism, has launched its call for entries.
Gurgle, the magazine for modern mums, has announced that it will be published monthly from August 2014.
