Journalism is at the heart of Fairfax Media’s plans for the future, CEO Greg Hywood proclaims, and he deserves credit for doing so.
Newspaper death watch
Regional papers bite the dust, unable to change as tide continues to turn
NSW mastheads The Tweed Daily News and The Coffs Coast Advocate have folded, leaving their journos jobless. The region will be worse without them but the simple fact is they weren’t able to change with the times, writes journogirl.
Newspaper Death Watch: APN shutters two key dailies
Yesterday, regional publisher APN announced that paid editions of two long-standing titles — the Tweed Daily News and the Coffs Coast Advocate — would vanish during the week.
Future of journalism: less talk about business models, more talk about quality
If people genuinely believe free market forces will save journalism, they have their heads in the sand. Focus on quality — not advertising delivery — and profit might just follow, writes Bob Denmore.
JB Fairfax, flick go the shares, while masthead editors in power struggle
The internal machinations at Fairfax and News Limited surely tell us that we live in an age where the newspaper business is increasingly devoid of sentiment.
Black, white and read all over … not so say circulation figures
The latest metropolitan newspaper circulation figures provide the newbie CEOs at News Ltd and especially Fairfax Media with their biggest and most important tests.
At Fairfax, Times are changing; Baker to ramp up news coverage
Fairfax Media is planning to expand its online National Times opinion site into news coverage, just as News Limited’s The Australian moves its best content behind an online paywall.
Pay wars in paper salvage plans
As The Australian moves to a paywall, it has become very clear that it is no panacea. Despite claims The Times now has 110,000 paying customers, News International has confirmed that around 120 journalists jobs would go from the paper.
The future begins for The Oz on Monday
A paywall will descend on Monday at The Australian, a move News Limited CEO John Hartigan says will “pioneer the way Australians consume media”.
Media briefs: Politics of subtitling … Murdoch v Murdoch …
The politics of subtitling … Rugby World Cup letter of the Day … In rift between Murdochs, heir becomes less apparent … Phone hacking: News International lawyer says he knew its “rogue reporter” defence was wrong and more …
It’s not all doom and gloom for newspapers
An awful lot of press circulates about the impending death of newspapers, but it is rarely mentioned that some papers are doing far better than just surviving, writes Judy Muller.
Licensing won’t help save journalism
As an offshoot of the bloggers vs journalists debate, the idea has been floated that an official body could license journos. But that would create more trouble than it’s worth, writes Matthew Ingram.
Leaked memo: News Ltd to embark on 20% cost cutting
News Ltd is in the same kind of trouble as Fairfax — a collapsing business model before the new business model has had time to get established.
Is journalism an endangered profession?
Much has been said of the newspaper industry’s steady decline and broken business model. But is the craft of journalism going down the gurgler with it? asks Matthew Ingram.
Media briefs: Libya front pages … Coulson’s payout … News Corp downgraded …
In today’s Media Briefs: wow the world’s newspapers covered Libya … Front Page of the Day … Bad Gaddafi headline of the Day … News Corp. downgraded on threat from “powerful enemies” … and more …
Why keeps newspaper readers subscribing? Mostly just habit…
Over a third of regular newspaper subscribers in the US only do it out of habit. And over two thirds subscribe for the coupons that come with the paper.
What if a newspaper died and nobody cared?
So commodified is the news business that from a consumers’ perspective, a closed newspaper is more like a brand of chewing gum that’s disappeared, to be easily substituted for another brand, writes Jonathon Oake, of blog The Spongeist.
New Herald and Weekly Times policy – and how it sits with the mothership
Margaret Simons recently posed some questions about the new Herald and Weekly Times policy and how it sits with the News Limited Code. Simons got some answers from HWT’s Genevieve Brammal.
Media briefs: CMail’s JT campaign … US media jobs go … journos in exile …
There are campaigning newspapers (carbon tax, NBN, SuperClinics, refugees) and there are campaigning newspapers. Fresh from a victory to force child molesters to wear electronic GPS tags, the Courier-Mail has turned its sights on the really big issues…
Building successful online business models is a community thing
The word “paywall” is inevitably linked to discussions about successful online business models, but arguably just as important is fostering a sense of community, writes Jessica Roy.
Debunking the ‘us and them’ dichotomy of bloggers v journos
Commentators who engage in the ‘bloggers versus journos’ debate almost always miss the point. It’s not about amateur versus professional. It’s about asking how we can deliver the best possible journalism in multiple mediums, writes Mr Denmore.
NYT paywall a success on more than one front
The New York Times’ announcement two years ago that it would erect a paywall was greeted with widespread cynicism. But the paywall has not only worked — it’s also actually increased print subscriptions, reports Henry Blodget.
infographic Global newspaper map
Almost every newspaper in the world — more than 10,000 — are represented in an innovative new Google map loaded with customisable features, writes Meranda Watling.
Deputy editor quits The Age
Beleaguered The Age editor Paul Ramadge has finally announced that deputy editor Sean O’Connor will leave for greener pastures.
