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.