Press the New Button
The newspaper world has been going through painful changes over recent years,
Falling reading figures, of the papers that is, and declining advertising sales has produced a pincer movement meaning many have been fighting a losing battle. With the internet then pouring over the top of the trenches like American troops arriving late into a world war, the newspaper publishers seem to be on their knees.
They have combated bravely with their own internet presence, but the basic rule that you provide “free” services, yes I understand web advertising etc., it has further eaten into falling budgets. More and more papers are now trying to charge for online access - which with the advent of mobile technology they have had to do something.
In the UK I currently get The Daily Telegraph on my iPad for free - which is very good. It doesn’t carry the weight of articles of the printed edition and the articles are very light, which to be honest is what you need when reading on a screen - but it is daily news.
I have argues for many years that the internet provides just another form of media - it will not completely replace radio, television or newspapers. All those editorial teams and production facilities will be needed to disseminate the news. What it may change is the way they deliver that news and so it seems to be proving.
There is a place for newspapers, but there has to be a point where they become financially unfeasible, I hope not but I fear the worse.
Hence it was great that the Independent Newspaper in the UK produced a rarity, a new national newspaper - called The I - it describes itself as “The essential daily briefing” and that is what it is. It costs just 20 pence (about 31 cents) is between 56 and 60 pages and covers most of the news and articles to be found in other national newspapers - but far briefer and punchy in its quality reporting than is the norm. It is like a paper edition of an iPad/iPod edition of a newspaper.
It is excellent and may prove to be successful, time will tell. I guess it is aimed at the new generation of news consumers who get their updates online and on the move. The problem there is that they are probably already doing that so may not even try this new format.
Fort myself, I have worked in the online news delivery for several years now - and I am used to the instant and yet up-datable story and as it happens approach. The short pithy comment and report - I like it myself but it is eroding a five hundred year old industry.
At Enigin we use the web to the full, with news feeds coming in and going out, along with any other information dissemination we can utilise. This is the world of today - a very different media world from just a few years ago, a very different multi-media world.
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