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.
Building on the success of its exclusive media partnership with UCAS, The Telegraph has announced the launch of its enhanced, newly designed Clearing app for 2013, currently featured on the iTunes’ ‘What's Hot’ list.
Stephen Abell (known as Stig) has been appointed The Sun’s new Managing Editor, starting in September.
Philadelphia: The volume of scholarly and scientific research data available is projected to grow by a factor of 44 over the decade from 2010 to 2020, going from 0.8 zetabytes (ZB) to more than 35 ZB (1 ZB = 1 trillion gigabytes).
Doctor Who Figurine Collection, a new fortnightly partwork from Eaglemoss Publications, goes on sale 28 August, at the introductory price of £2.99.
Star Trek – The Official Starships Collection, a new fortnightly partwork from Eaglemoss Publications, goes on sale 21 August at the introductory price of £1.99.
The Financial Times has announced the appointment of Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson (@Edgecliffe) as US news editor. From October he will coordinate the FT’s daily Americas news coverage globally.
Archant London’s Westside Resident magazine recently came up smelling not of roses but pineapples, thanks to an innovative idea from the team behind the title.
The Sun has seen a month-on-month increase of 1.67% with the ABC reporting sales figures for July of 2,281,301 - the biggest month-on-month uplift of all the daily tabloids.
Wallpaper* magazine’s September issue sees a print and digital refresh for the brand.
The Mail have launched the Mail Trail online game to increase awareness of Mail Connected’s research study ‘The power of Mail newspapers as digital activators’.
Children’s magazine Publisher, Redan Publishing, has undergone an executive reshuffle appointing Jenny O’Connor and Julie Jones as joint Managing Directors.
DC Thomson title, The Courier, will sponsor a production of Jackie The Musical at the Gardyne Theatre, Dundee.
The publisher of SHD Magazine and www.SHDLogistics.com, Informa Exhibitions, has announced the staging of an exciting new venture in March 2014.
BLAG, the entertainment and culture magazine, is now using the new App Studio to create highly interactive digital apps for the iPad and iPhone.
Brides-to-be will be able to virtually try on a stunning wedding dress created by Stephanie Allin, one of the UK’s foremost bridal fashion designers, with the September issue of Perfect Wedding.
