From the Association of Free Community Papers (AFCP: 

How Print Helps the Internet

Telegraph.co.uk became the first British newspaper website when it was launched 15 years ago.

When I took over the editorship of the fledgling Telegraph internet site early in 1995, two questions were constantly being posed to me. The first was: how can you make money out of something you give away free? The second was: does this mean the end of newspapers? The first of these questions was always the most tricky, because, in reality, no one had a clue how we were going to make money. The Telegraph's internet operation was essentially a marketing initiative with a brief to explore this new medium and report back. No one said anything about making money, although reader offers were always part of the mix from the start, so there was a token nod in the direction of commerce.

I recall a rather a rather scary meeting with the then proprietor Conrad Black, who asked me the same question. I pointed out to him that he was always complaining that city analysists undervalued the share price of Hollinger (which owned the Telegraph) and that one of the reasons they gave was that the company did not have an internet strategy. By backing an internet newspaper, I reasoned, he would show them that he did have a strategy and his share price would rise accordingly - so at least he would make some money that way. The answer seemed to satisfy him and we were allowed to keep going.

The longer term answer remains elusive. Short of charging for content, no one really is completely sure 15 years later. And although the telegraph's internet operations do attract many millions of advertising revenue now, these revenues are still smaller than the sales and advertising revenue of the print titles.

As to the second question, my answer remains the same as it was then: of course the internet doesn't spell the end of newspapers. No new medium has ever sunk an older one without trace. Contrary to popular musical mythology, video didn't kill the radio star (although DVD and Blu Ray have certainly given video a kicking) and TV didn't kill radio - in fact, radio is going from strength to strength, while a lot of TV is struggling to survive.

And the longer time goes on, the more convinced I am that that the internet needs newspapers. The reason is simple: people like reading, and whilst reading from a screen is bearable for short items, it gets tedious for anything more than a few hundred words. I'm prepared to bet that the majority of people, young and old alike, when they find something online they want to give detailed study to - whether its an article or the terms and conditions of their holiday booking - the first thing they do is hit the 'print' button so they can sit down with a bit of paper in their hands.

I think there's something deeply ingrained in the DNA of post Gutenberg culture concerning typography and design - and nowhere do you find more exciting an innovative typeography and design than in mass ciculation newspapers and the plethora of magazine and supplements they bring in their wake. And whilst the design of websites has advanced from the rather sparse minimalism that characterised our efforts 15 years ago, they still have a long way to go before they can replicate the best that newspapers have to offer.

But beyond the aesthetic argument, there's a more profound argument about the centrality of newspapers, and this is to do with the business of telling stories, and creating compelling narratives. If you examine the world's great online sources of news and opinion, for example, the vast majority of them have sprung from newspapers or from broadcast organisations with strong roots in newspaper journalism culture.

So, in a curious way, things have come full circle. Fifteen years ago, the Telegraph newspapers needed an internet site to help transform the brand image of the paper, to make it seem more modern and relevant. Now, I think, when our internet presence has made us a global brand, we need the newspaper even more to remind those readers why they value what they are reading.

The Newspaper Association of America can usually be counted on to put the best spin on the difficult situation facing publications. Here is the latest:

"As a researcher, I can share with you what the numbers show about the newspaper business. Scarborough Research has tracked the audiences of newspapers for more than 35 year. Our 2009 measurements indicate that, in contrast to stereotypes or misconceptions, readership of newspapers, while declining, is still relatively strong and part of our routine and culture. According to our latest newspaper ratings:

·74% of adults read a paper in print or online during the past week. Newspaper readership in some markets reach upwards of 90%.

·19% visited a newspaper website during the past week.

·70% of American adults (18+) read a printed newspaper during an average week.

While the numbers speak for themselves, I understand why readership may be in question. Media has spent more than a decade incorporating online platforms into our strategies. Hear the word "newspaper" and we think exclusively of paper and ink editions. But the reality is that newspapers have become more than the traditional printed copy. Scarborough data demonstrates that newspapers are successfully extending their audiences online, providing a 4% "lift" in readership to their print companions."

The below survey from the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) is interesting. This survey neatly fits into the NAA's world-view. Generally said, the NAA appears to have stopped worrying about how to make print work a while ago and now is primarily interested in telling its members they need nicer websites (I have been to their conferences and listened to one heartfelt forum in which the presenter debated the value of employing "hot or cold" colors on a homepage- "orange might be a little too aggressive.") One problem: advertisers don't appear to agree (perceived value of online newspaper ads - banner and otherwise - is still substantially less than print products) and since the overall value of online ads gets diluted by the enormous volume available, that is not likely to change anytime soon. Which is ok, if you only have a website but for a news gathering organization it makes paying the bills pretty tough.

Here is the survey info:

Update on the Print / Online Newspaper Audience
 Information seeking consumers, including newspaper readers, regularly use both print and online in their search for news and information.  A June release from The Media Audit states that people who are considered heavy print newspaper readers spend about as much time online as the typical U.S. adult.  People who spend at least one hour per day reading a newspaper also spend 3.7 hours per day online. As reported by Media Post   and NAA's OPU blog,  the research also revealed that the average U.S. adult has almost doubled their daily use of the Internet between 2006 to 2008 - from 2.1 hours per day online to 3.8 hours per day online. The Web now represents about one-third of a typical "media day" for U.S. adults.

This willingness to cross platforms on any given day also works to extend the effective print / online reach of newspapers.  According to The Media Audit report seven daily newspapers have achieved a net unduplicated reach of 80% or more when the past 30-day website visitor figure is combined with the past month print readership figure.

Source: The Media Audit, MediaPost, Scarborough Research and NAA

More proof that newspapers are still a valuable source of information; thus a profitable place for advertising…

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Magazines_22/One_place_where_print_media_still_rules.asp

A recent study conducted by MediaVest finds that readers trust what they read in print over what the read online. The survey reveals a few key findings based on five categories of information pertinent to consumers: Entertainment, Health, Food and Fashion. To view the full press release describing this survey, Click Here.

To summarize their findings -
• Print is more trusted than online in every category but Health/Wellness.
• Despite the abundance of online content, few see online replacing print.
• Fashion/Beauty relies most faithfully on the printed publication

To view the full press release regarding this survey, Click Here