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 too many customers is rarely a problem; having too many types of customer can be. Readers, newsagents, advertisers - display and classified - are all distinct customer segments managed separately within newspaper centres. Andrea Kirkby looks a
Is the digital newsroom a journalists’ prison? Will it help or hinder content delivery in the multi-media world? Ray Snoddy looks at newsroom design and what it tells us about newspapers’ state of preparedness for the future.
Everyone’s heard the hype surrounding Web 2.0, the catch-all buzz-phrase that refers to the ‘new’ participatory web, where users interact with each other, upload their own content and shape their own experience. But what, asks Robin Crumby, does Web
Has interest in digital editions peaked? Karlene Lukovitz detects some signs of waning enthusiasm amongst US publishers.
Along with every other publisher using the newstrade, the FT wrestles with the perennial problem of how to maximise sales whilst minimising unsolds. Martin Ashford and Natalie Murphy outline the particular challenges they face and how they are using
Some publishers remain nervous about the impact of the internet – worried that their online efforts will cannibalise their offline business. And they have concerns about how to monetise their internet presence. Auto Trader has had no such qualms and
What good is your big exclusive if no one knows about it? Your front page can help hype the story and shift extra copies, but it is pre-publicity that will make the biggest impact on sales. PR can be a highly effective way of generating that publicit
Some publishers have had their fingers badly burnt by expensive database projects that have failed to deliver the right return. Often the root cause has been a failure by the publisher to clearly set out the commercial justification for the project a
The growth of digital media and declining circulations have conspired to put huge pressure on the publisher-newsagent relationship; a relationship that has, more many years, been the lynchpin of newspaper sales. Andrea Kirkby looks at the state of pl
Newspapers might be in long term structural decline, but they are not throwing in the towel. Indeed, the energy and creativity with which the press is fighting its corner is breathtaking. Raymond Snoddy looks at how they are battling for every last r
Don Nicholas and his team have spent many years researching how publishers make money online. He has identified seven management best practices that are shared by the most successful companies. Here they are …
On 4th October 2006, the Association of Online Publishers held its 5th annual conference and awards at the Hilton Hotel in London. James Evelegh went along with his paper and pen, only to be outdone by the fellow from RBI next to him, who blogged the
Mobile is a growth area. The advertising industry is starting to take note and content providers are looking at possibilities beyond SMS & ringtones – the mainstays up until now. Andrea Kirkby looks at some of the issues facing publishers.
UK NEPA’s (Newsletter and Electronic Publishers Association) 12th annual conference for specialised information providers was held in London on 27 June. The theme of the conference was ‘The Electronic Challenge’. Kate Worlock picks out the main talki
Each issue, Alan Geere casts an eye over the performance of the national press.
