Opportunities and Threats in the Local Media - InPublishing feature
Starting my career in local news a decade ago felt a bit like turning up to the greatest house party ever but a few hours too late, writes Katie French for InPublishing . I was filled with enthusiasm to get started but it felt like the best moments happened before I’d arrived and everyone was ready to call it a night. The picture now is very different. After a rocky decade of print decline, publishers have embraced the opportunities digital presents and now with record-breaking audience numbers, the party is back on. As a regional newspaper editor for Newsquest, I spend a great deal of time analysing data. Nearly 1.8m people read my websites in November – figures that far surpass the print circulation heydays of the early 2000s. Newspaper sales remain steadier than many had predicted while digital subscriptions and newsletter subscribers are in growth, two important emerging revenue streams which will help future-proof local news providers. Across the industry, demand for trusted local
