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.
Dennis Publishing has announced the launch of Berty Squiggles - a colouring and activity title – which represents Dennis’ first venture into the children’s market in the company’s 40-year history.
Publishing house Raconteur Media is relaunching into the digital space, with a brand new website going live on Monday 2nd September.
Newsquest Media Group and Johnston Press PLC have announced a partnership to work together within the dating market using the Newsquest-owned Two’s Company brand.
Newsworks has launched The Tablet Project, with the purpose of creating the benchmark for tablet advertising.
Baked & Delicious Autumn Special, a oneshot from Eaglemoss Publications, goes on sale 12 September, priced £9.99.
The international cardiology title, Heart, is set to take a new direction as it appoints its first US editor in chief, global healthcare knowledge provider BMJ has announced.
Girl Talk magazine, Immediate Media Co pre-teen title, has broadcast its first TV adverts on Nickelodeon, Pop Girl, Boomerang and CITV.
Feel Good Food, the food brand from monthly glossy woman & home, is introducing a new title Feel Good Food: Eating Smart, which will be sold exclusively in print in Tesco, and on all digital tablet newsstands.
The Best of Best, a new oneshot from Sport Media, celebrating the career of “a sixties idol and the original football superstar”, goes on sale 9 September, priced £4.99.
Edge, Future’s multiformat title is celebrating its 20th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, the brand has created 20 unique and collectable covers to be published in both the print and digital editions.
Hobby Star Marketing, which runs Canada’s largest pop culture conventions, including Fan Expo Canada, has been acquired by Informa plc.
The latest NRS PADD numbers reveal, say the Guardian, that Guardian News & Media's print and digital titles - the Guardian, The Observer and theguardian.com - remain the most-read quality newspaper combination in Britain for daily, weekly and monthly
The ABC has introduced new initiatives to introduce more flexible circulation reporting and cost savings for the Regional Publications market.
Ahead of the 2015 Presidential election, Nigerian Watch, the free monthly newspaper for the Nigerian community in the UK, is capitalising on the opportunity to inform the electorate in both the UK and Nigeria via its new section, Politics Watch.
Shout’s You’re Beautiful Week runs from 26th August to 1st September 2013.
