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.
Segmentation of an audience to deliver targeted communications is the cornerstone of marketing, but how does this concept apply in the online setting? Dr Dave Chaffey explains your options for segmenting and targeting your online audience.
Digital editions continue to divide opinion. Some think they’re the best thing since sliced bread; whilst others, well, err ... don’t. The important thing, says Phil Whomes, is to be aware of the opportunities and test your market. RCN Publishing did
Feeds are now mainstream. They offer trusted sources, like publishers, great opportunities to distribute not only their own content, but also other people’s. RSS, XML and other social applications are now within easy reach, says Amanda Watlington, of
This is the text of a speech made by Paul Dacre, Editor in Chief of the Daily Mail to the 2008 Society of Editors conference in Bristol.
The ‘year of the mobile’ has been widely anticipated each year of the decade so far. Will 2009 be it? Quite probably. The mobile scene is hotting up, helped hugely by the success of the iPhone. And, says Don Nicholas and Amanda MacArthur, having a mo
Hardly a day goes by without a media brand touting its latest web relaunch. Many involve little more than a change of font or background colour and are quickly forgotten. Occasionally, though, you do get a relaunch worthy of the name – a full root an
The great and the good of the online world gathered at the Park Lane Hilton on 1st October for the UK Association of Online Publishers’ annual conference. James Evelegh was also there and, here, picks out the main themes.
ACE has been with us for almost sixty years, hosting awards, Christmas lunches, raising money and bringing the disparate elements of the industry together. It is also moving with the times, and here, Christopher Collins outlines some of the changes t
By extending into other media, newspaper brands have managed to increase their audience despite declining print circulations. The new advertising opportunities created have caused a cultural upheaval for sales teams, much agonising over packaging and
SIPA UK’s (Specialised Information Publishers Association) 14th annual congress was held on 9th July in London. Louise White looks at the main themes and conclusions from the day.
With email marketing, seemingly insignificant tweaks to the copy or structure of your email can produce dramatic uplifts in open and response rates. Sara Baugh reveals what she has learnt from her experiences marketing to one particularly demanding a
Beset by credit crunches, advertising downturns and increasing competitive threats, what should the regional press be doing to get through these lean times? Lynne Anderson says that recognising their USPs and continuing to strengthen their position a
Producing multiple editions of daily and evening papers was once the norm. No longer. With some notable exceptions, most publishers are moving remorselessly towards single editions. Peter Sands tracks the demise of editionising.
As a specialist publisher, you enjoy one big advantage over Google and the other big online players – your market knowledge and reputation within your niche. And, says Michael Upshall, turning this to your advantage has never been easier ... or cheap
The continuing impact of online, coupled with the looming recession, has had a devastating impact on newspaper classifieds. The question, says Ray Snoddy, is will they return when the economic sun shines again, or are they gone for good.
