Newspapers are Old NewsThe future of newspapers in the digital age

We live in a Digital

World:84% of households have a

cellphone and 7% also have a tablet 3

2.789 billion people, or 37% of the world population, actively use

social media in 2017

2

According to a study, 63% of Facebook and Twitter users get their news on the social platforms, and 59% of Twitter users follow breaking news on the site

In this digital world, the way people receive news is changing

7

In fact 50% of users between ages 18 and 34,said the

sites were “the most important”

or “an important” way to get news 7

1/3 of College Students Share News on Social Media Sites Regularly 3

Unfortunately, reading newspapers is not a high priority for millenials 3

In fact, in just over a decade, the newspaper

industry has lost $45B in ad revenue due to decreased readership

9

Since they receive the majority of their profits from ads, even large, reputable

newspapers have been struggling

- 2.6% ($1B in lost funds)

Total Newspaper Revenue Decline in 2013 alone 10

10

This lack of revenue has

caused 15 North American major metro daily newspapers to stop operations and 12 others to reduce their frequency since

20078

In response, news firms have begun to use Facebook, Twitter, and other social media apps to attract young and on-the go news consumers 3

Other tactics being used to combat diminishing reader interest:• shortening stories• adding commentary• using social media to supplement

hard copies• focusing on younger generations’

interests• creating OTT(over-the-top)content

4

10

10

10

10

What is OTT content?

With mediums such as Roku and Apple TV, there is an opportunity for newspapers to launch their own TV stations to produce

OTT and reach a younger audience

Video clips are used for people to see news live without an anchor or on-screen reporter, and barely any narration. This method also reduces costs and bypasses FCC licensing 4

4

The Courier Times has 7,500 active Roku installs

The Beaver County Times created micro-TV stations in their markets and offers a free Roku with every newspaper

subscription

McClatchy, which owns 29 daily US newspapers, is currently adding OTT videos to their services

Naples Daily News transitioned to video first 10 years ago4

4

4

4

Fighting for Territory:

While newspapers are adapting, social media platforms are taking advantage of their current popularity for reading news and are attempting to further dominate the space

Twitter developed Project Lightning in an attempt to curate

the Twitter experience for people to better follow breaking

news

Facebook, along with 9 news firms created Instant Articles which streamlined the news reading experience

7

7

7

So how is the digital transition in news consumption affecting journalists?

Journalists are now required to be able to report effectively on newspaper, internet, radio and television

There has been a rise in multi-skilled journalism focused on interactivity, personalization, global accessibility,

interconnectivity and instantaneous reporting

Journalists also need to be able to navigate the epidemic of fake news and sensationalism

6

6

6

number of working

journalists in the US decreased by 17,000 according to the Pew Research Center

BUTfrom 2006 to 2012 the

10

This dramatic drop in journalists over the past decade may be due to this new multi-skilled approach

as many seasoned journalists have had a hard time

transitioning to all news mediums. However, news firms

consistently state that multiskilling is simply to produce more from the same resources, rather than decrease the workforce

6

So what are the next steps for the Newspaper industry?

One option is online paywalls, which many newspapers and news sites are beginning to use to generate more revenue

A recent study found that paywalls are used at 450 of America’s 1,380 daily

newspapers and are effective for both large

and small papers

Although it is clear that a transition from hard copy to online mediums is necessary for the survival of newspapers, online ad revenue alone won’t be enough to support most 1

1

1

1. Take a responsive content approach: think broadly and create the best content for each medium (such as tablet versus mobile) and the technology to will deliver it

2. Bring non-print developers and designers on board: news will be more flexible, short and tailored for the reader and their device of choice

3. Rebalance resources: Support quality, local, investigative journalism but also incorporate contributions from the internet and social media

4. Look toward the future: A classic newspaper may not have the same brand equity with a millennial. Invent new multi-platform news products tailored to the audience

Other Suggestions for Newspaper firms:

5

5

5

5

References

1. Are Newspapers Dying or Adapting in the Age of Digital News Consumption? (2015). Retrieved from About News: http://journalism.about.com/od/trends/a/papersdying.htm2. Global social media research summary 2017. (2017). Retrieved from Smart Insights: http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/3. How College Students Share News Through Social Media. (2014). Retrieved from Sage Journals: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/19312431145464484. How local papers are looking ‘over the top’ as part of a new model for video. (2015). Retrieved from Columbia Journalism: http://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/local_news_video_over_the_top.php5. How the local press can survive – and thrive – in a digital age. (2014). Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/jul/17/local-press-survive-digital-age6. Konstantinos Saltzis, R. D. (2008). Inside the changing newsroom: journalists' responses to media convergence. emeraldinsight .7. New Pew data: More Americans are getting news on Facebook and Twitter. (2015). Retrieved from niemanlab.org: http://www.niemanlab.org/2015/07/new-pew-data-more-americans-are-getting-news-on-facebook-and-twitter/ 8. Newspaper Death Watch. (2016). Retrieved from Newspaper Death Watch: http://newspaperdeathwatch.com9. Sticking With Print Would Not Have Helped Newspapers Avoid Death. (2016). Retrieved from Fortune : http://fortune.com/2016/10/18/print-is-dead/ 10. The Future of Print: Newspapers Struggle to Survive in the Age of Technology. (2014). Retrieved from Harvard Political Review: http://harvardpolitics.com/covers/future-print-newspapers-struggle-survive-age-technology/

NOTE: the in-text numbering on each slide correlate with the data gathered from the similarly numbered sources below

Image SourcesAll images have creative commons licenses and are listed in the order they appear

John S. Flickr Max pixel

Christiaan ColenKaboompics//KarolinaKaboompics//Karolina

Max pixelGary KnightJuanedc

Ervins StrauhmanisKaboompics//Karolina

freestocks.orgKaboompics//Karolina

PexelsJon S

Unsplash from PixabaypexelsPexels

UnsplashUnsplashTookapic

Simon from pixabayJÉSHOOTS