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.
A new report that examines the environmental implications of 'green' strategies for newspaper companies has just been published by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
Haymarket Medical has launched its first educational DVD for healthcare professionals.
Accentuating the positive is the character trait of the successful advertising exec; hence Marcus Rich being able to take the Mail on Sunday’s February circulation dip below 2m well in his stride. Here, he talks to Meg Carter about marketing prioriti
The Association of Online Publishers (AOP) Census, currently in its eighth year, is an annual survey of AOP members’ businesses. This is the second year that the Census has been split into an ‘Organisation’ survey published in the Spring, and a ‘Cont
The Telegraph won. End of story, right? Err... not exactly. Yes the Telegraph was the big winner on the night, but Ray Snoddy, one of the judges, found some very interesting things going on in the ‘Digital Innovation’ category - one of the few the Te
Maney Publishing has expanded its agreement with distributor and agent DotLib for sales of its electronic products in the United States, Canada and Italy.
Amazon has announced that Kindle for Android, the free application that lets readers around the world enjoy Kindle books on their Android phones, is coming this summer.
Online video specialist Video Direct has launched Videobuilder, a self serve online video production tool designed to open up new video revenue streams for publishers.
The Financial Times has announced the launch of its new app for iPad.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the International Association of Sports Newspapers (IASN) have launched a new World Football Reading Passport, which will be offered to children by newspapers worldwide during thi
Royal Mail has announced the launch of a new e-commerce fulfilment tool to help online retailers manage their inventory, accounts and logistics across multiple on and off-line sales channels, saving them time and money.
Archant has strengthened its business development team with the appointment of a new Group Business Development Director, Serge Taborin.
Newsquest have been developing and refining their free newspaper strategy over the last year in Greater London via pick-up distribution in major supermarkets provided by Bolton based Self Select Distribution (SSD).
Northprint, the national print show for the UK market, will return to Harrogate International Centre on 10-12 May 2011.
The World Newspaper Congress, scheduled for early June in Beirut, was to have been the first Congress since WAN and Ifra merged, bringing together the leading global industry organisations. Despite the recently announced cancellation of the Congress,
