Kev’s Column: Stop The Press?
In this week’s “Kev’s Column” Kevin takes a look at the future for local newspapers after new figures revealed a fall in circulation for our local papers.
It is not that long ago that an editor of a local newspaper could shout “Stop the Press” and get the latest news out on the streets that day, yet how do we ensure that local papers have a viable future in an age when Online, Radio and TV News bombards us with up to the minute coverage.
Sadly for some local papers “Stop the Press” is being called for the very last time, with a number of long standing publications disappearing over recent years. Yet I do believe there is a future for them in embracing, rather than just losing business to, new technology.
The challenge for local papers was summed up by the figures I was sent this week that had just been released by ABC showing the Herald Express circulation had dropped to 21,530, equating to a fall of 12% in just six months. Yet this is a reflection of the whole industry, not just one paper. The days when “everyone” read the local paper, as some claim to me, are long gone.
I recently attended a breakfast talk given by Jim Parker, the Editor of the Herald Express, in which he covered some of his career in journalism. Jim has a real passion for local papers and his industry which shows through when he speaks. What was slightly sad is how a lot of his speech chartered the way the structure of the local print media had declined since the 1970’s when it dominated debate in the bay. Many jobs he did in the past discovering stories have now gone.
Whilst the decline has been present for some time, the last five years has seen the most dramatic change for print media in the bay with the Herald Express ceasing to be a daily publication. Instead of a fresh edition out on the streets each day, only one publication now goes out on a Wednesday. This single edition is rather large due to having Homes, Motors and Entertainment supplements all in one.
The lack of a daily edition removes much of the cut and thrust of political or public debate a local paper can create. Knowing that each day a new front page will be hitting the newsstands does create a sense of urgency in dealing with issues that comments on Twitter or local radio just does not replicate. Letters sent to the editor can seem slightly out of date a week later and any sense of debate is lost in an exchange that lasts over three or four weeks.
Yet being sentimental about the past is not going to create a future for local newspapers, particularly as more people have phones/pads that can replace a newspaper on the train/bus and in the pub or café.
The key aspect a local paper retains, although far less resourced than in the past, is a unique level of professional, but independent, scrutiny at a local level. Whilst local bloggers will pass on great information to local people or their own analysis, this does not replace a journalist’s eye on an issue. A good political correspondent on a local paper can ensure that the likely public reaction an issue will create is at the heart of the decision process, without their scrutiny many real stories may not be told at all.
For me the key is allowing a local newspaper to create a cross media brand that means a print edition is part of a wider news & comment offer. In the past it was right that strong restrictions were in place to ensure a local paper with a dominant market position for local news could not run one of the few commercial radio stations available in the area. Yet in the area of multi-channel digital news services this is no longer relevant and licencing costs should be structured to help, not deter, the creation of locally focussed media.
A local newspaper’s news room could provide a unique daily offering if combined with an effective online presence that can be easily read on the move (The pop up ads on the current Herald Express site can be a pain for those using a mobile device). The output of a linked radio station could bring to life much of the columns that fill the paper, whilst creating a locally unique broadcast product in terms of culture and entertainment.
Cross media output also allows more effective campaigns, something that a community can unite behind if the source is seen as a politically neutral local paper. The reputation and journalistic tradition of a print edition also gives more weight and a real community feel to what is done.
National broadcasters seek to create debates around their live shows on Twitter and Facebook, something that could be replicated at a local level, particularly if the model of ownership was more based on a community interest company model than the traditional media empire idea.
I believe there is a future for a vibrant local print press, yet if things are allowed to stay as they are it really will be stop the press for many more local newspapers in the years to come. The internet and smart phones are driving a very different consumption of news than in the past, but this can be positive if handled well creating unique commercial opportunities.
Ultimately the newspaper industry came out of a change in society that saw people want to consume news and know about the world around them. There is no reason why a local paper’s brand cannot successfully deliver that in an internet and broadcast age if it adapts to survive.