Hot Topic - The Paywall
The endless - and useless - war between legacy news publishers and the tech world has several battlefields. "Both sides are good people," to quote a well-known media phenomenon out of context. News, and the publishers who deliver it, earned high esteem for informing the public. With that came lots of money. That started slipping away half a century ago. By the time publishers noticed, internet technologies had redesigned distribution of information and just about everything else. That, too, came with lots of money.
Those who study media economics have made interesting discoveries about paywalls, the seemingly indispensible cookie monsters meant to extract cash. Publishers love paywalls, generally, because their shareholders want more money. Readers are less excited, particularly those desiring access to multiple sources.
Thoughtful predictions for the coming year in digital journalism and publishing have appeared in recent days. As with recent years, the insight is mostly doleful, evidence persuasive and solutions painful. One thing stands out among all these predictions: money. Easy money from advertising, paywalls, billionaires or, even, governments is not going to save news publishing. Some of it can't be saved, some shouldn't.
Scale is important to innovation. Anybody in the digital realm knows this, those fighting for digital transition in particular. Big publishers looking for digital traction very often look to work with competitors for scalable solutions. The problem is anti-trust law is a firewall to protect consumers from such collusion.
Every publisher considers, studies, business models. Confounding some, there is no grand unifying vision for a sustainable, successful business. The rise and rise of digital media has produced many models. There will be many more.
By most accounts, print circulation seems to have bottomed out. Losses from the digital decades are starting to reverse, albeit slightly. Print advertising, however, may never recover. Digital advertising, which benefits Facebook more than publishers, seems to have stalled except for mobile ads, expected to overtake TV sometime soon, maybe, unless the ad blockers take over. All of this is just opportunity.
Digital transition has spawned great creativity. Ideas - all kinds - spring up anywhere. Markets ready to exploit them are obvious magnets.
See also in ftm Knowledge
Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation
News Corporation is a highly competitive media giant a global, multi-media footprint. From paywalls and pay-TV to tabloid troubles and new ventures the media industry watches Rupert Murdoch. Update includes family ties, succession plans and other News Of The World. 210 pages PDF (September 2012)
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Media in Spain - Diverse and Challenged – new
Media in Spain is steeped in tradition. yet challenged by diversity. Publishers hold great influence, broadcasters competing. New media has been slow to rise and business models for all are under stress. Rich in language and culture, Spain's media is reaching into the future and finding more than expected. 123 pages, PDF. January 2018
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The Campaign Is On - Elections and Media
Elections campaigns are big media events. Candidates and issues are presented, analyzed and criticized in broadcast and print. Media is now more of a participant in elections than ever. This ftm Knowledge file reports on news coverage, advertising, endorsements and their effect on democracy at work. 84 pages. PDF (September 2017)
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Fake News, Hate Speech and Propaganda
The institutional threat of fake news, hate speech and propaganda is testing the mettle of those who toil in news media. Those three related evils are not new, by any means, but taken together have put the truth and those reporting it on the back foot. Words matter. This ftm Knowledge file explores that light. 48 pages, PDF (March 2017)
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