So another account of the state of newspapers from a thoughtful British news exec, Chatham House rules.
The key themes and claims (my thoughts in itals):
- Protect print ad and subscription revenues and readership (claim = resilience/loyalty of core readership). The slow decline scenario.
- Grow online revenues and audience (claim = potential for growth and more growth). Still awaiting evidence that this growth can make up for core losses — and no talk of acquisitions.
- Opportunities in global English language news market (claim = US papers are afraid to debate issues like will America elect a black or woman President.) Will a new “Fleet Street” WSJ move to occupy that space — or is there still plenty for all?
- Hot-button issues work online and in print. Is that true? Church affiliation is hot-button in the US, a yawn in the UK.
- Segmenting audiences/building coalitions around consumption rather than politics (claim = ‘motorists’ rather than party affiliation). Political parties know this already.
Other points you may or may not agree with:
- No interest in UK blog content (e.g. Washington Post/TechCrunch syndication deal) — didn’t rate UK blogosphere — UK newspapers have already occupied that opinion territory and run the best blogs.
- US newspaper market product led — major papers produced for journalists and prize committees.
- Operational and organisational importance of getting expert journalistic analysts online early.
- Current print plant investment, with 25–30 year life span, by GMG and News Corp probably the last.
- Growing interest in video attachments for press releases.
Interestingly, when challenged on trust, the exec spoke for the value of trustworthiness whilst simultaneously observing that the payout and apology to the McCanns hadn’t destroyed the readership of the Daily Express.
Regular readers will recognise this ability of journalists to continue to value trust (or claim to value it) in the face of evidence that it does not relate to news consumption.
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