Free papers - the future?

ON THE WHOLE, the print industry received a boost as the National Readership Survey published its results for the past year.

The real standout performer from the results was the London Evening Standard, which figures show now has an estimated readership of 1,394,000, a huge 133% increase on last year.

These results follow the Standard dropping its price-tag and becoming a free paper, whilst also increasing its distribution, two bold moves from major shareholder Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev.

These figures now mean the Standard is read by more people than some national titles including the Guardian, amongst others. The Metro, another freesheet also rose, 8%, to 3,597,000.

The real question to arise out of the figures however, are the implications they have for the future of the newspaper industry.

Are free newspapers the future of the print industry? Or will continuing to charge for them be a sustainable option? It will be interesting to see if these figures grow once more next year, then a proper analysis can be made.

It is worth noting, that the most-read newspaper remains The Sun, with 7,761,000 readers, a 1% decrease on last year.

It is certainly an indication that freesheets are becoming a more and more popular choice amongst the newspaper reader.

It raises questions as to how Mr. Lebedev will approach the Independent when he finally assumes control, will that become a free paper also?

Time will tell, but the initial signs are definitely promising.

Hyperlocal news: the time is now.

IN RECENT months, the journalism industry appears to have grown another branch, or at the least, extended a previous one.

Hyperlocal news, or blogs, are cropping up throughout the country, and it appears that the time for localised news is now.

With regional newspapers feeling the brunt of the recession, coverage on a localised level has reduced with papers thinning, and staff numbers seriously down.

Hyper-local refers to community-related news content, not typically found in the mainstream news; which ultimately will serve a minor geographic section.

In 2009, almost 30 regional tiles disappeared from existence, which makes the need for hyperlocal 'bloggers' ever-more important.

2010 is certainly the year for hyperlocal news to explode into life, with the Guardian filling three paid positions for journalist to run localised news blogs in Cardiff, Leeds and Edinburgh.

The advert for those positions read “This is a completely new role for the Guardian, which we believe reflects the shifting nature of journalism.” The successful candidates, who will work from home or “anywhere with wifi”, will know their “tweets from their yelps”.

It seems hyperlocal is one of the many new steps industry is taking to stay in touch with the digital revolution.

Grassroot news

A fellow course-mate and I, will be launching a hyperlocal blog for Preston in the coming weeks, at a time when student journalists are having to do or die.

With an industry that appears ever-shrinking, with job cuts, and convergence; as one of thousands of graduates, I must do everything I can to get to the top of the pack.

We are hoping such a site will serve the grassroot communities on news that larger newspapers, such as the Lancashire Evening Post, fail to deliver.

With newspapers declining, fewer staff reporters are spending less time holding the powerful accountable.

Hopefully, that's where hyper-local will come in, only time will tell.

Charging for content - the beginning of the end?

PAYWALLS, a major talking point in journalism right now, are they good or bad? Will they kill or revolutionise the industry?

Alan Rusbridger, Guardian Editor-in-Chief spoke of paywalls this week at the 2010 Hugh Cudlipp lecture at London College of Communication.

Rusbridger is critical of the paywall business model, claiming it would remove the industry from a digital revolution which is allowing news organisations to engage with their readers more than ever before.

I would disagree with this view; I believe that paywalls will actually enhance the two-way relationship between the consumer and the journalist. With applications like Twitter leading journalism into social media, there is constant communication between the reporter and his readers.

A paywall will indeed limit the amount of people who read the news online, but will this filtering not just separate the consumers who are serious about news, from the rest of the bunch?

Surely the quality of communication will be greater between industry and its customers if those purchasing the paper digitally have a genuine interest and love for news?

America has seen a number of papers who have tried it, and opted against it, whereas there has been a number of have taken paywalls on board and stuck with it.

The New York Times for instance has confirmed it too will introduce a paywall to its website by 2011.

Whilst we have no idea how paywalls will work in the UK, there is only one way to find out, and that is to take the plunge and try it.

Sincere apologies.

Firstly, a happy new year to you all.

Secondly, my lack of care for my blog is clear for all to see when you see that opening sentence being written on January 28th, poor form indeed.

I have neglected my lovely little blog recently, but endeavour to spice it up once more in the coming weeks.

2010 has had a manic start, and will continue in a similar fashion, I've taken over the role of News Editor at Pluto, UCLan's fantastic student newspaper, and am also getting stuck in with a project with the BBC this semester too; this, coupled with my degree means I will be a very busy boy!

I promise to pop in soon.

Honest.