News
Bizjournals now on PageSuite
American City Business Journals are publishing all 40 of their bizjournals titles online, with digital edition publisher PageSuite.
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
David Fordham becomes NS president
David Fordham, chief executive of Iliffe News and Media, became president of the Newspaper Society on Wednesday 1 July. Georgina Harvey, Trinity Mirror Regionals managing director, was appointed NS vice president.
FEATURE
Head in the Clouds
Major technology advances don’t come around that often in the newspaper industry, but when they do, they have seismic effects. Cloud computing is one of those milestones and, says Steve Nilan, newspapers need to grasp the opportunities it offers.
FEATURE
On the Edge
The sale of national newspapers in the UK has traditionally been via the news trade. Over the years, though, a number of titles have experimented with various subscription models, and this trend appears to be gaining momentum. Are we now, asks Martin
FEATURE
Locking them in
Getting visitors to our websites has been the primary focus for some time. Less attention has perhaps been spent on analysing what visitors do when they get to our site, and specifically what might cause them to leave prematurely before they’ve actua
FEATURE
Increase Reach with Video & Audio
Publishers are cashing in on the fantastic growth in the consumption of video online by adding videos to their sites. The numbers alone offer a compelling argument for adding online video. Amanda Watlington outlines how publishers can maximise the im
FEATURE
eReaders – what you need to know
Where do you stand on the great eReader debate? Not sure? Happy to wait and see? Well then, you need to WAKE UP! According to Dominic Jacquesson, they are all set to revolutionise our industry and you need to start planning right now.
FEATURE
John Fry - interview
In January, John Fry succeeded Tim Bowdler as chief executive of Johnston Press. Given that the company’s stock has continued to fall, their Irish titles remain unsold and the banks are breathing down their necks, you might expect a degree of despond
FEATURE
Checking the finances
Newspaper groups have multiple audiences; readers, obviously; advertisers, of course; city analysts, uh? The verdict of the money men, particularly in tough economic times, can affect the very survival of newspaper groups. Andrea Kirkby puts herself
FEATURE
The Quest to Diversify
The recession is causing many businesses to focus on the short term – on what they need to do to secure their financing, to manage cash and to control costs. These areas will remain priorities, but as they come to terms with the possibility that thes
FEATURE
What will it be like?
Even in their darkest hours, most publishers accept that the recession will eventually end. But what will the publishing landscape look like as publishers emerge from their bunkers? Robin Crumby looks into the future.
News
MMA announces new global board
The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has announced its 2009-2010 Regional Officers and Global Board of Directors and Officers.
News
Johnston Press refinancing announcement
Johnston Press has been in discussion with its lenders regarding refinancing the company's existing facilities.
News
The Independent goes mobile with Bluestar
Bluestar Mobile, a YOC Group Company, has announced that it has signed a deal with Independent News and Media to create a mobile site for The Independent newspaper.
News
New name for KM Group charity team
The Charity Commission has given approval for the KM Group's Kent and Medway Walking Bus Group to be renamed the Kent and Medway Charity Team. Abbreviated to KM Charity Team for everyday use.
