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.
Members of PPA Business have warned the Government that its proposed copyright exceptions could have serious commercial implications for the UK’s business information and data providers.
VICE, the global youth media company, has announced the appointment of new UK Managing Director, Laura Franses, with immediate effect.
The Times has welcomed the Government’s announcement this week that a consultation on media plurality will include the impact of BBC on other news providers for the first time.
UBM plc has published its Interim results for the first half of 2013.
The Sun has launched Sun+: which it describes as “a whole new world of digital entertainment available across web, phone and tablet devices.”
Auto Express, one of the UK’s leading motoring titles, has launched an all-new van channel on autoexpress.co.uk, in partnership with insurance experts’ Direct Line for Business.
Superman 2014, a new annual from Titan Publishing Group, goes on sale 2 August, priced £7.99.
Adventure Time, a new 13 issues per year magazine from Titan Publishing Group, goes on sale on 8 August, priced £2.75.
Following the release by the Home Affairs Select Committee of a breakdown of companies and individuals who used private investigators who had broken the law, Hacked Off has released a statement.
Brides magazine has announced that The Iconic Wedding Dress Exhibition, in partnership with American Airlines, will be taking place at Brides The Show in October.
Egmont UK has announced the launch of its new ‘spooktacular’ Monster High App. Egmont Kids Media has the rights to develop and launch digital products based on Monster High Magazine content.
Batman 2014, a new annual from Titan Publishing Group, goes on sale 2 August, priced £7.99.
30 July: As the countdown continues to the arrival of Sun+, their presses have now been upgraded with the latest printing technology to ensure the most loyal readers of the paper will receive exactly the same benefits as digital members.
You & Your Wedding is giving its readers a chance to wear the ultimate wedding day accessory, a one million pound diamond necklace by David Morris.
Telegraph Media Group (TMG) has partnered with Vodafone UK to launch a unique price plan that includes an iPad with a data plan and a digital subscription to the Telegraph.
