Portsmouth newspaper's price rise a symptom of media malady
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Version 0 of 1. Alongside a range of cutbacks, one of the other major tactics employed by regional newspaper publishers is, of course, cover price rises. This has the unsurprising effect of depressing sales. Although it usually raises revenue in the short term, it adds to the reasons why people stop buying, eventually contributing to an accelerating circulation decline. Result? A renewed financial headache that necessitates yet another price increase. But corporate owners aren’t too worried about that. The whole point of managing decline is to find ways of ensuring that profits are maximised before the golden goose loses the ability to lay its eggs. Meanwhile, editors must rally their hard-pressed, understaffed editorial team to do their journalistic best in an increasingly hopeless fight for survival. So spare a thought for Mark Waldron, editor of the Portsmouth News, as he gamely tries to engender enthusiasm among the city’s people by staging readers’ roadshows following his masters’ imposition of a fourth price rise in less than three years. On Monday, Johnston Press raised the News’s price by 5p to 75p. That followed 5p rises in March 2015, March 2014 and April 2013. That amounts to a 36.4% increase over that period. This situation is not unique. It is a symptom of the continuing news media malady. Another publisher, Newsquest/Gannett, has pioneered counter-productive cover price hikes for several years. Yes, yes, I know readers are moving online and newspapers are serving them on their websites, and through tablet and phone apps. I know people are accessing news output through Facebook and Twitter. But the returns, whether from digital advertising or iPad apps, are meagre when compared to the newsprint take. And necessary online investment remains overly cautious. More investment is required. Nor are publishers keen on hiring journalists. At the News, for example, there are four vacancies: web reporter, education reporter, sport reporter and health reporter. Staff believe they never will be filled. Waldron, in a message to readers, as quoted by HoldTheFrontPage, wrote of the “harsh financial realities of running an award-winning multi-media news service in 2016.” And he concluded: “I sincerely hope you will continue to support us. Without our readers and advertisers, the News could not be your friend at home and your ally in battle.” Quite so. No paper will result in a severe democratic deficit. Before people point out that without Johnston Press doing all it can to maintain profitability the paper’s disappearance would come all the quicker, I know that too. To echo Waldron, I am describing the harsh realities of the effects of the digital revolution. Where I take issue with publishers is their lack-lustre online performance (and the pedestrian Portsmouth News site is an example). They all pay lip service to harnessing the power of the net and talk up the numbers of users. But they have failed to be pro-actively innovative, keeping investment to a minimum in a risk-averse climate. It is no wonder, given the paucity of their digital offering, that readers are reluctant to pay for access and media buyers are wary of spending on adverts. |