July 2007 Archives

Actually, the paperless newspaper is no longer around the corner: it’s already here and now, as web-only news publications flower, whether launched by pros or in collaboration with citizens. The question is whether – or when – this will apply to major newspapers. Business Week and Fortune investigate.

The New York Times (NYT) has teamed with NBC News / MSNBC.com for coverage of the 2008 presidential elections. The NYT also launched normal-length advertiser-sponsored videos on its main video page.

The Financial Times’ (FT) ad revenues grew 5% in the first half of the year, along with a 1% rise in circulation and 12% rises in print and online subscribers. How does the FT do it?

In the Online Journalism Review, Robin Miller gives a few tips as to how newspapers “can thrive on the World Wide Web.” This includes offering simple services such as calendars, producing engaging video, as well as extensive use of citizen stringers.

Starting next week, the Editors Weblog will switch to ‘minimal coverage’ during most of the month of August. The next newsletter will be sent out on 8 Aug. Staff will still be available for contact.

The Northern Echo claims that its decline in sales has come to a halt since it went tabloid in February.

With the upcoming presidential elections in the US, newspapers are making a come back on the political advertising scene. Because they are cost-effective and offer medium-specific advantages to advertisers.

Times Online became the second most-visited newspaper website in the UK in June, thanks to a 10.5% increase in visitors (nearly one million additional users). Guardian Unlimited is pursuing its ongoing website redesign with the relaunch of its environment website.

The number of free copies distributed by the Manchester Evening News (MEN), UK’s leading regional newspaper, has surpassed that of its sales for its paid-for edition. For better, despite initial fears of cannibalization.

According to eMarketer forecasts, online video ad spending is on track to rise 89% in 2007, up to $775 million. The same research expects video ad spend growth rates to remain above 40% through 2011, reaching an estimated $4.3 billion.

Metro International has appointed Per Mikael Jensen as its CEO and president, starting in November this year. He will be based in London.

The Bivings Group recently compared top US newspapers’ homepages load times. The main conclusion: in terms of sheer file size, homepages are crammed, especially with ads, and seldom designed for dial-up connections.

As China readies itself and its population for the 2008 Olympics, the Beijing Evening News publishes one English sentence everyday, which serves as a gateway for millions of Chinese.

The Tribune Co. and New York Times Co. both reported significant declines in print ad revenue for the second quarter, in line with an industry-wide decline.

Robin Miller, Editor in Chief for Open Source Technology Group, suggests that newspapers looking to increase their online presence should add calendars, online video, and blogs to their web sites.

According to the Shaping the Future of the Newspaper’s (SFN) latest report, World Digital Media Trends 2007, at a time of decline in the print advertising market, it is becoming increasingly important to generate revenues from its digital businesses. By now, that’s conventional wisdom. The sixty-four thousand dollar question really is, (how) can newspapers sustain their high profitability, and quality, through their digital businesses? Editors Weblog considers the latest trends in terms of newspapers’ use of mobile and video.

Trinity Mirror, publisher of The Independent, announced on July 25 that it will invest £23 million in color-printing equipment for its papers.

Bristol’s The Western Daily Press has organized an in-paper and online appeal to help families affected by flooding in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. 

The CNN/YouTube Debates raised a few eyebrows for their mix of irreverence, humor, and policy, but Matthew Yglesias of The Guardian wonders if they were as markedly different from traditional face-offs and as historic as CNN originally billed them.