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.
Digimarc has announced it has added two new tools its Online Services Portal that give the ability to easily create digitally watermarked mobile campaigns that give consumers the ability to choose the product or experience that they want before they
BrightRoll, a leading provider of digital video advertising services, announces it has secured US $30 million (£18.9 million) in financing.
Northcliffe Digital, the digital arm of regional publisher, Northcliffe Media, has launched a suite of affordable online video products for small businesses advertisers across its network of over 400 hyperlocal and regional web sites operating under
The Future is Yours, a survey of editors’ attitudes, prepared by Jim Chisholm, was unveiled by the Society of Editors yesterday.
The international Digital Magazine Awards, in association with Quark, have announced the finalists for this year's competition.
The regional media has not been a happy place to be of late. Declining circulations, deep cost cutting and continuing uncertainty over digital strategy have lead to a loss of confidence. Yet, writes John Meehan, regional media can have a bright futur
Tim Cain, head of research and insight at the AOP, summarises the main findings of the recently published Contents and Trends survey, which provides significant insights into the priorities of the UK’s leading digital publishers.
As 2011 winds down, the anticipated pullback in print magazine advertising expenditures noted in my last column seems to be playing out, writes Karlene Lukovitz.
You've probably seen them everywhere - printed on the corner of tickets, on posters, in magazines, and even at the end of TV ads. Are they the next big thing, asks Paul Lomax, or will they soon fizzle out?
The concept of paywalls, which publishers continue to agonise over, is a by-product of our digital age. But, writes Ross Sturley, there are some valuable lessons to learn from an earlier wall-building exercise.
A team of former BBC Sport journalists who said ‘no’ to the move to Salford are launching a new digital sports content service.
The winners of this year's PPA Data & Digital Publishing Awards were unveiled at a ceremony at the Victoria Park Plaza on November 10.
Internet research publisher and digital training specialist Econsultancy has won the Small Online Business of the Year accolade at the 2011 National Business Awards.
Archant Print has retained three prestigious external accreditations for quality, environmental and health and safety standards, which it first gained three years ago.
An important new report, “The Test of Democracy: Key Laws Which Constrain the Commonwealth Media” was published yesterday as a draft consultation document by the Commonwealth Press Union Media Trust (CPU MT).
