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.
The press industry - local, regional and national newspapers and magazines - stands united against determined attacks on free speech, incoming Society of Editors president Ian Murray said in his maiden speech this week.
Future, the international media group and leading digital business, has appointed James Ranson as Director of Advertising Sales, Future UK.
50 Amazing Years Of The Doctor, a oneshot from The Dark Side, goes on sale 21 November, priced £3.99.
The Financial Times continued its yearlong 125 anniversary celebration last night with an exclusive party in Hong Kong this week, the final in global series that also included New York and London.
Little Darlings, published by The Chelsea Magazine Company, is a new glossy magazine for London mums-to-be and families with children up to the age of 8.
Home Sewn Style, from Practical Publishing International, is “aimed at providing sewing skills and inspiration for all abilities”. It goes on sale 14 November, priced £7.99.
Trinity Mirror plc yesterday issued an Interim Management Statement covering the 17 weeks of trading to 27 October 2013 and describing the Group’s financial position and performance.
Johnston Press has announced the launch of a new digital marketing service to help small businesses transform their online presence.
The company’s digital display advertising solution, Easy Online Display - which allows local advertisers to seamlessly buy both print and digital services - has added mobile to its service portfolio.
The 2013 British Society of Magazine Editors Awards were held at the Grand Ballroom of the London Hilton, on Monday, 11 November.
A story posted on the North Devon Gazette’s website showing a former Wren handing an MP £7.20 ‘for his expenses’ on Remembrance Sunday has gone viral.
woman & home yesterday launched a brand new editorial strand: Indulgence, a new online channel which will feature substantially online and in print.
Created by Cedar, House of Fraser’s content marketing partner, the new magazine is based around three goals – Indulge, Give and Celebrate.
The Doctors – The Archive, a celebratory souvenir special from Sport Media and billed as the “unofficial guide to 50 years of time travel” goes on sale 19 November, priced £4.99.
AdvantageCS has announced its newest client: Test-Achats. Test-Achats (TA) is also known by its Flemish name of Test Aankoop and was founded in Belgium in 1957 as a consumer organization.
