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.
Aerospace and Security Media, publishers of Aviation Security International and Aviation Maintenance Magazine as well as the owner of aviation exhibitions and events, have appointed Beeline Data Services to manage their audience data.
Condé Nast Traveler China will be launched in China in March 2013, it was announced yesterday by Jonathan Newhouse, Chairman and Chief Executive of Condé Nast International.
Company magazine is turning its January 2013 edition into ‘the super blogger issue’. In what the publishers says is a media first for a mainstream women’s magazine, the fashion title has chosen Susanna Lau (aka Susie Bubble) and Bip Ling to grace the
Soviet, the men’s fashion and accessories brand, has been confirmed as the headline sponsor of the Nuts Awards Party. Sub-sponsorship of the event will also be provided by iconic British boxing brand Lonsdale.
News Corporation has announced that Dow Jones Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor of The Wall Street Journal Robert Thomson will become the CEO of the new proposed publishing entity, following the Company's intended separation into two independent, p
The Finishing Company, the Essex based mailing and finishing supplier, has rebranded under the new name of Finco.
Imagine Publishing has announced a portfolio partnership with digital newsstand Magzter.
Taggstar, the platform which brings images to life on your website, has unveiled its new analytics dashboard which provides publishers with rich data and insights into how the images on their site are performing.
The Economist’s Michael Brunt has told Ad Age that they will be unbundling tablet editions from print.
Ted Moncreiff has been named Editor of Bloomberg Pursuits magazine, the global lifestyle luxury publication from Bloomberg Markets magazine.
Auto Express, Dennis Publishing’s weekly car magazine, has launched its all-new iPad app, offering an “exciting blend of the highest quality car journalism with interactive features and exclusive video content”.
Gurgle, the baby and parenting magazine owned by Mothercare, has launched an innovative birth plan app for expectant mothers with Huggies signed up as the app’s exclusive advertising partner.
Esquire, the men’s magazine published by Hearst Magazines UK, has launched a creative partnership with whiskey brand, Woodford Reserve, which begins with a slick editorial roll-fold in the latest issue.
Outbrain Europe has appointed seasoned executive Alexander Erlmeier to launch its content discovery solution and drive new growth within the highly strategic German language (DACH) market.
Rupert Murdoch is to shut iPad newspaper The Daily from 15 December, admitting that it has failed to win enough subscribers to make the online subscription venture viable in its 21 months of life.
