Author: Gu Xiaojin (Professor, School of Communication, Shenzhen University, Research Fellow, Media and Cultural Development Research Center).
The guide "Qingji Information International ** Dynamics" and "Entering Foreign Media" shows the foreign media dynamics in the past month, providing readers with first-hand detailed foreign media information, so stay tuned.
The New York Times is doing well.
The New York Times Corporation released its fourth-quarter 2023 report on February 7, and the New York Times' revenue performed well: a net increase of 300,000 digital-only paid subscribers; On average, the digital-only revenue generated per subscriber increased by 35% for 9$24; Digital advertising fell 37%；other income increased by 10%; The main profit increased by 387%, up to 1$2.9 billion. Q4 2024: Circulation of 10.36 million copies, of which 9.7 million were digital-only subscribers and issuance revenue was 4$300 million; Advertising revenue minus 84% for 1$6.4 billion, including $1 in digital advertisingUS$0.8 billion; Other income was $81.7 million.
Compiled from the New York Times Inc.'s official website on February 7).
The death of the Washington bureau of the American media.
On January 23, the Los Angeles Times announced layoffs of 115 people, or 20 percent of its workforce. If this operation is completed, the newspaper's Washington bureau will suffer a heavy blow, and nearly half of its employees will be forced to leave. At the same time, the San Francisco Chronicle, McClatch & Co., and the Los Angeles Times Washington bureau had only one, two, and five people, respectively. Fortunately, the vast majority of states have empty bureaus or press stations in the capital. This erosion of the democratic system has been going on for years, resulting in the actions of legislators being ignored by many people, and people are unable to monitor whether members of Congress are playing with the law through daily reporting. Add to that the decay of local journalism, and without normal federal coverage, Americans can only learn about the behavior of politicians who represent them from campaign ads and bipartisan disputes.
Compiled from the official website of the Columbia Journalism Review on January 26).
The New York Times will enable advertising bots.
The New York Times is recruiting collaborators to test a generative AI-powered ad delivery tool that will enter soft operations starting in the second quarter. The software, developed in-house, allows for the best results in advertising based on relevant text messages and target audiences. The tool can also help ads reach verticals that machines couldn't mark based on interests, wishes, comments, etc. For example, a car manufacturer targeting family cars can use the tool to find pet owners and recommend them from the newspaper** and client information. The paper currently has 10 million paid subscribers and more than 100 million registered readers, which creates favorable conditions for the newspaper to use advertising robots.
The newspaper began research and development on the tool long before suing Microsoft and OpenAI for infringement and claiming billions of dollars in December 2023. Joy Robins, the paper's chief advertising officer for International, said: "The launch of this new software demonstrates our confidence in the potential of generative AI in the business world. ”
Compiled from www. 20 Februaryaxios.com）
Australian newspapers have changed their policies to promote a large increase in paying subscribers.
Australia's Nine Publishing has two high-selling newspapers, the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, both of which have been paywalled for years. The two newspapers found that many active readers took advantage of the free reading volume of the metered paywall to avoid paying. So starting in February 2023, they will learn about the topics, content and types of news that may prompt paid reading, and then try to artificially raise the paywall of this kind of content and reduce the number of free readings, involving a total of 11% of the content. As a result, in just a few weeks, the number of weekly paying subscribers increased by 425%, and the proportion of paid subscribers in traffic users increased from 11% to 40%. Investigative reporting, local journalism, and educational journalism were found to be the easiest content to pay for. There are also some niche vertical content that does not seem to arouse general interest, and it is also easy to trigger the willingness to pay.
Compiled from www. on February 12inma.org）
Hundreds of newspapers in New York State huddle together to keep warm.
Since 2005, half of the weekly newspapers in New York State have closed, the statewide newspaper has decreased by 40 percent, and more than 3,000 newspapers have closed nationwide. Today, more than 100 local newspapers in the state have formed the Empire State Local Press Coalition in an attempt to garner a long-term package of supra-partisan support at the legislative level for the sustainable development of local newspapers. The existing law currently available is the Local Journalism Sustainability Act, which includes tax incentives for local newspapers. A 2022 analysis reported that 354 newsrooms in New York State, including 53 in New York City, would benefit from the bill. In addition, there is also the "Small Business Incentive Initiative", which will promote local small businesses to advertise in the local ** under this initiative and increase the level of revenue in their hometowns. The Coalition believes that professional reporting and fact-checked local journalism are the cornerstones of elections and democratic institutions.
Compiled from www. on February 19editorandpublisher.com）
Insider journalism "brings investigative journalism to life."
*The Greek news platform "Inside Story" was founded in the spring of 2016, at the most difficult time of tradition. One of the founders, Dimitris Xenakis, had just left the company and knew what audiences were willing to pay for, so Insider Journalism focused on investigative journalism, quickly gaining a reputation in his home country and even in Europe, and was funded by some journalism clubs. With a pay-for-content model and a sizable number of paid subscribers, the platform doesn't rely on ads at all, relying only on valuable, high-quality, exclusive content to attract audiences, and currently has around 4,000 paid subscribers. Subscribers pay a subscription fee of 6 euros per month or 60 euros per year to read not only all the content of the platform, but also historical content and receive newsletters. "Your audience's willingness to pay is made up of a combination of factors, but one of the most important factors is their trust in you," Zenakis said. They believe in you, and you're doing the right thing, and they'll pay for your content. ”
Compiled from www. on February 12thefix.media）
*The success of the newspaper proves that paywalls are suitable for tabloids.
Germany's largest newspaper, BildPlus, the digital version of BildPlus, reached the milestone of 700,000 paid subscriptions at the end of 2023 and 707208 earlier this year, making it the largest subscription** in the German-speaking region and one of the most successful paywall news in the world. As a result, Blick, a Swedish tabloid, and the Daily Mail, a long-time free tabloid in the UK, have also begun to build paywalls. Currently, 12%-15% of the world's ** news brands have paywalls.
In January of this year, the newspaper received a whopping 59.6 billion, 1 times more than its biggest competitor, the free** T-Online. Daniel Mussinghoff, the head of BildPlus, which went live in 2013, said: "There is still a lot of potential for subscription growth, and there is no ceiling in sight at the moment. "In the first half of 2023, the revenue of * and its sister newspaper, Die Welt, increased by 34%, of which about 48% comes from the digital side.
Compiled from www., February 22pressgazette.co.uk）
buzzfeed can't bear to sell complexes
Buzzfeed, a U.S. digital news, announced on February 21 that it has launched its entertainment complex with 1$0.9 billion was sold, while 16% of employees will be cut. Complex was acquired by Buzzfeed in 2021 for $300 million. This suggests that the new **, which went public two years ago and tried to expand its product through financing, has seen a major reversal due to continued losses. According to Wall Street, Buzzfeed is already looking for buyers for its food social network.
Founded in 2006 by Kenneth Leler, one of the founders of the Huffington Post, Buzzfeed is headquartered in New York City, has won several national awards such as the Pulitzer Prize, and acquired the Huffington Post. According to its data when it was listed on the NASDAQ in December 2021, its revenue in 2020 was 4$2.1 billion, but revenue is expected to be only 31.7 billion — 3$2.8 billion, compared to $1$5.7 billion. Its share price also fell to 21 cents from $1 at the time of listing.
Compiled from www. on February 21axios.com）
*When the subsidy expires, the local area in Canada is in distress.
Independent newsrooms that rely on Canada's federal subsidy program for hundreds of local journalists are worried about the lack of funding due to expire in March. The uncertainty has put some large newsrooms at risk of mass layoffs, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has expressed his displeasure. Launched in 2019 by Heritage Canada in 2019, the Local Journalism Assistance Program (LJI) grants a total of $50 million over the next five years, from which news organizations can apply for grants to hire local journalists. The policy comes in the context of 225 weekly newspapers and 27 ** newspapers in Canada that ceased publication or delisted from 2017 between 2010 and 2017. Currently, 400 journalists from 300 companies** across the country have received LJI grants, benefiting 1,400 local communities. However, the LJI will expire on March 31, and there is no information on whether it will continue at this time.
Compiled from www., February 16cbc.ca）
Springer builds a management team in the United States.
Xotall Springer, Germany's largest newspaper conglomerate, has expanded aggressively in the United States in recent years, and has recently formed a management team in the United States. Springer's U.S. expansion strategy began in 2015. In that year, it acquired the American digital ** "Business Insider" and acquired the statistical ** eMarketer (now renamed "Intelligence Insider"); In 020, it acquired "morning brew" (morning brew) of digital finance; In 2021, it acquired Politico. Today, Springer has almost as many journalists in the United States as there are in Germany. The management team of Springer's U.S. headquarters in New York is composed of 10 people, including chief operating officer, vice president in charge of culture, vice president in charge of information security, vice president in charge of U.S. affairs, senior legal counsel, and vice president in charge of public relations.
Compiled from wwweditorandpublisher.com）
The British newspaper B2B "Campaign" generates revenue to compensate for advertising losses.
The UK's parent company, Daily Mail Trust Group (DMGT), has seen strong revenue growth in 2023, with B2B activity being the main growth**. DMGT owns the Daily Mail, the Sunday Mail, My Newspaper, The Metropolis, The New Scientist and The Post. In 2023, the Group's ** advertising revenue will be 16.6 billion pounds, down 3%; Print newspaper advertising fell 16% and is currently the smallest revenue**; However, the events and MICE industry revenue increased by 63 million euros; Distribution revenue, which includes print media and subscriptions, increased 4% to 2At £4.7 billion, it is currently the largest revenue of the Group**. Headquartered in the UAE, the Group's Events segment covers a wide range of industries, including energy, construction, coatings, medical, leisure, interiors, and more. Among them, ADIPEC, an energy exhibition in Abu Dhabi, is the largest event. This was followed by the construction BIG5 in Dubai and the International Gas Exhibition in Singapore. At present, DMGT has five major revenues**: subscriptions, newspaper distribution, consumer** advertising products, events and exhibitions, and stock assets. Among them, the event and exhibition industry led the growth, as high as 63%.
Compiled from wwwpressgazette.co.uk）
One of the changes promoted by the Indian media is to manage the traffic crisis.
India's road safety has long been a concern, with the highest number of traffic accidents in the world. According to WHO, there are 425 fatal traffic accidents in India every day; It accounts for only 1% of the world's vehicles and 11% of the world's traffic accidents. However, such social issues have not become a priority for legislators. As a result, Enlightenment**, one of India's largest Hindi-language newspapers, launched a massive traffic safety campaign. They sent 750 reporters to investigate 182 highways across the country, covering 79,657 kilometers, collected a large amount of first-hand data, and found seven major causes of car accidents: 1dangerous driving posture; 2.poor vehicle maintenance; 3.logo defects; 4.Fumes; 5.stray animals; 6.defects in municipal facilities; 7.Trauma. A large number of reports were published, including 827 on traffic and road safety, 15,000 on raising awareness of road safety, and 1,200 interviews with experts, policymakers, and city managers. In addition, the newspaper organized nearly 4,500 workshops to educate 130,000 drivers about safety. The traffic police department also stepped in to help extend the workshops to campuses, where 2.7 million students were educated.
The picture shows the traffic safety special edition of "Enlightenment**".
The picture shows the national highway survey record of "Enlightenment**".
Compiled from www. on December 19, 2023inma.org）
The second thing that the Indian media is driving change is: saving the cows.
Eighty percent of India's 1.4 billion people are Hindus, who regard cows as sacred. As a result, cows are protected by laws in India, such as prohibiting the sending of non-productive cows to slaughterhouses. The Cow Protection Committee has also taken action to prevent the transport of cows to slaughterhouses by vehicles. This also brings some social problems. Dairy farmers have to pay for the unproductive cows, many of which are homeless, with 5.2 million cows in the cities in exile, more car accidents, more crops, and many hungry cows having to gnaw on garbage and plastic bags. ** Huge sums of money were spent on governance, and 1,800 cowsheds were built, but the results were not good. "Enlightenment**" decided to participate in governance, launched the "gau gras" (for cows) action, discussed how to protect cows from the three dimensions of human, economic and policy, published more than 100 articles, established more than 200 broadcast points, and 150 outdoor signs. The action has achieved good results and basically achieved its goals: attracting 685 social organizations to participate in the action; 1.5 million students from 10,000 schools took part in the action to bring relevant information into their families; Millions of people respond to the needs of dairy cows by actively feeding them.
The picture shows hungry stray cattle on the road.
The picture shows the relevant layout of "Enlightenment**".
Compiled from wwwinma.org）
All the manuscripts are provided by Professor Gu Xiaojin, professor of the School of Communication, Shenzhen University, researcher of the Media and Cultural Development Research Center, and academic advisor of this journal).