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.
LOOK is publishing its first instantly shoppable and fully interactive print issue offering their readers the chance to buy directly from the print page and star on the cover of their LOOK issue.
Bauer Media’s MOJO celebrates its 20th anniversary with a landmark, collector’s issue.
UBM plc’s commitment to improving its carbon emission performance across all UBM premises worldwide has been recognised in this year’s CDP FTSE 350 Climate Change Report, published earlier this month.
On 28 November 2013 Imagine Publishing will launch World Of Animals, a totally new wildlife magazine set to transform the global print and digital newsstand, say the publishers.
X360 is changing its name to X-ONE from issue 104, on sale 30 October, ahead of the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox One console on 22 November.
Yesterday, The Times and the Sunday Times launched a major new benefit - Times Currency Services - offering readers and non-readers access to “better” exchange rates and “superior” service for all their international currency transfers.
British GQ celebrates its 25th anniversary with fashion, photography and lifestyle one-offs.
The Guardian has announced that former Prime Minister Julia Gillard will write columns on an ongoing basis for Guardian Australia.
Imagine Publishing has announced the release of a special Doctor Who 50th Anniversary issue of SciFiNow magazine with specially commissioned original cover art.
Last week, the FT hosted an exclusive event in London to celebrate its 125th anniversary with guest speaker Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England.
Registration for the Press Awards 2013, for UK national newspapers and their journalists, is now open and entries can be made over an extended period from 1 November 2013 until 14 January 2014.
My Weekly magazine, published by DC Thomson, will take over the sponsorship of ITV3 Afternoons in November 2013 with idents starring writer, broadcaster and entertainer Pam Ayres.
On 24 October, Trinity Mirror launched the Bracknell Times, to replace the Bracknell Forest Standard.
Condé Nast International Restaurants, under the aegis of Condé Nast International, has announced a license agreement with AB Restaurants to open GQ Bar Almaty, in Kazakhstan.
The Manchester Evening News pulled out all the stops for the launch of Sir Alex Ferguson’s autobiography this week, with coverage including an exclusive interview with the Manchester United legend.
