News
Publishing Futures shows the changing face of magazines
The Publishing Futures 2013 benchmarking survey is well underway with almost 90 publishing companies having taken part so far.
News Media
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.
Essential Resources
FEATURE
Returning to growth
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.
Best Practice in Publishing
News media
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…
INTERVIEW
Stand and deliver!
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.
INTERVIEW
Change before charge
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.
INTERVIEW
Ditching the generic
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.
INTERVIEW
The Observer’s premium future
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.
FEATURE
Opportunities & Threats: National News Media
What’s the outlook for national news media in 2024? Christian Broughton, CEO of The Independent, looks ahead.
FEATURE
Breathing new life into local media
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.
OPINION
We Need Trusted News Brands Now More Than Ever
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.
OUT & ABOUT WITH ALAN GEERE
Weekly does it
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.
All Articles
News
Refresh video or lose visitors, study finds
Newspaper and magazine publishers failing to update their video content risk damaging their brands and loosing visitors, a study has found.
News
NewBay Media acquires Intent Media
US based NewBay Media LLC has announced that it has acquired Intent Media Limited.
News
PPA Independent Publisher Awards – the winners
The winners of this year's PPA Independent Publisher Awards were unveiled at a ceremony at Vinopolis on December 4.
News
Local press debate on government ad spend
MPs have called on government departments to come together and think innovatively about channelling their activity to ensure it provides support to local newspapers which perform a vital role in their communities.
News
Girl Talk magazine re-launches website
Girl Talk magazine has re-launched its website, offering its young readers more lively interaction with the brand.
News
WIRED brings tangible Google search bar to readers
The January issue of WIRED provides readers with a tangible version of Google’s search bar, by means of a special die-cut cover with secondary cover behind, coaxing the reader to search into the magazine.
News
Times partners with Asus on new Google Nexus subs offer
The Times and The Sunday Times have launched a new subscription offer that will bundle a digital subscription with a device – a first for UK newspapers.
News
Live Chat launched by Van Trader
Van Trader has launched Live Chat, a brand new service to help dealers turn website traffic from warm leads into hot prospects.
REVIEW
NCTJ Annual Conference
The spectre of the Leveson Report loomed large, writes Lisa Nelson, as the NCTJ Journalism Skills Conference got underway in Nottingham on Wednesday, 28 November.
News
IOP appoints New Head of Publishing – Partner Journals
Jamie Hutchins has been announced as the new Head of Publishing – Partner Journals, for IOP Publishing.
News
Future relaunches iGamer as digital magazine
Future, the international media group, has announced the relaunch of iGamer as a global interactive monthly iPad magazine.
News
The Art Newspaper launches on iPhone and iPad
Using the Stonewash Magazine Framework, The Art Newspaper has launched an iPad and iPhone application that allows readers all over the world to download and enjoy every issue in full.
News
Marketforce extends distribution agreement
Marketforce, the magazine distributor, has announced that it has agreed an extension to its distribution contracts with UK wholesalers Smiths News and Menzies Distribution.
News
VICE UK celebrates 10th birthday
To mark its tenth birthday, VICE UK has published two issues: 'The Syria Issue' and 'The 10th Anniversary Issue'.
