Newhouse Reinvents Times-Picayune For Digital Age
By Space Coast Daily // May 25, 2012
the business of media
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — In a sign of the rapidly evolving media times, The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, founded in 1837, announced today that it will no longer offer print editions seven days a week starting this fall.
The Times-Picayune‘s current plan is to publish 24/7 on its website, NOLA.com, and produce print editions on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Online access will remain free on NOLA.com.
The newspaper industry has fought to retain its ad revenues and power base, especially over the last year and a half, as the digital world washes over the industry like a rising tsunami. As tablets such as the iPad and Nook become mainstream for the consumption of multimedia, the newspaper industry faces a do-or-die reorganization of how it disseminates both ad and editorial content.
“For us, this isn’t about print versus digital, this is about creating a very successful multi-platform media company that addresses the ever-changing needs of our readers, our online users and our advertisers,” said Advance Publications’ president of local digital strategy, Randy Siegel, in an interview with the Associated Press.
“This change is not easy, but it’s essential for us to remain relevant.”
The Times-Picayune is owned by the Newhouse family group’s Advance Publications. As of 2009, it was ranked as the 46th largest private company in the United States according to Forbes.
Locally: Paywall vs. Free
Locally on the Space Coast, Florida Today, the area’s daily newspaper since 1966, has gone to a “paywall” for access to its website, FloridaToday.com. Florida Today is owned by the publicly held Gannett Company, which is currently the largest newspaper publisher in America in terms of circulation.
Gannett’s plans, which are polar opposite to Advance Publications, are to put up paywalls around the websites for all 80 of its community newspapers. Gannett also owns USA Today, but its website access will remain free.
SpaceCoastDaily.com, Brevard County’s 24/7 free comprehensive digital source, has brought viewers and advertisers into a new dimension of innovative, interactive everyday communication that meets our area’s voracious appetite for timely, accurate and honest information.
“We are committed and pledge to inform, educate, provide a legitimate forum for constructive discourse and debate, and a venue to celebrate and share milestones, events and experiences in the collective lives of all of our viewers as members of SpaceCoastDaily.com’s interactive social community news platform,” said SpaceCoastDaily.com publisher Tom Palermo.
