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.
Having worked in media for more than 35 years, there are few, if any, major players Mike Ironside doesn't know. But it was more than just his contacts book the National Readership Survey was after when it appointed him chief executive a year ago. Meg
The advertising downturn cuts both ways. Advertisers are spending less on newspapers and newspapers are spending less on advertising! Furthermore, newspaper marketing budgets are being spent in different ways. David Greene tracks the trends.
Last autumn’s AOP annual conference was held at the Business Design Centre in Islington. Among an impressive line-up of speakers was Emap’s chief executive, David Gilbertson, who gave an excellent presentation on the subject of intelligence, in the c
Though his feet rest in the fertile soil of direct mail, these days, subscriptions copywriter Andy Maslen is as likely to be writing a landing page as a renewal series. Here he looks at the places where online and offline copywriting diverge.
The proverb, “If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well”, could have first been uttered with blogs in mind – so many of which start brightly then fizzle. As with any other publishing venture, says Amanda Watlington, the key is thorough plann
An inescapable part of the weekend papers – just ask any paperboy – supplements come in many shapes and sizes, are of varying quality and cater for a range of interests. Alan Geere casts his eye over the current crop.
Social media was huge in 2009. Barely a week went by without a Twitter or Facebook campaign making headlines – remember Jan Moir and Rage against the Machine. And, 2010 promises more of the same. So why then are publishers still struggling to make se
Telegraph Media Group (TMG) has announced a partnership that will see its online video content hosted and delivered by Ooyala, one of the market’s leading video technology providers.
Teesside University and Newcastle College have joined as partners of the Tyne Tees and Border consortium which is bidding to run the regional TV news pilot in England.
The Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and PPA have announced that AOP – previously a subsidiary of PPA - has formally become an independent membership organisation effective as of 1st January 2010.
A new award will recognize the significant contribution made by the publishing industry to promoting freedom of expression. The SAGE International Publishing Award will be presented at the 10th annual Index of Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards
Amazon.com has announced details of a new program that will enable authors and publishers who use the Kindle Digital Text Platform (DTP) to earn a larger share of revenue from each Kindle book they sell.
The Financial Times has announced the launch of its iPhone application for the FT Little Book of Business Travel (LBBT), available as a free download from the Apple and BlackBerry App stores.
The Press Complaints Commission has upheld a complaint against The Sunday Times under Clause 5 (Intrusion into grief or shock) of the Editors' Code of Practice.
Digital Technology International (DTI) has announced that the Boston Herald and BostonHerald.com, Herald Media, Inc properties in Boston, MA, USA, have signed an agreement to install DTI ContentPublisher to manage all their print and Web content in o
