Just Published: Investing in Newspapers
In many markets, newspaper stock prices don't reflect the true value of newspaper companies. A new report from the World
Association of Newspapers examines why this is so and what newspaper executives can do, and are doing, to ensure that
stock prices better reflect the health and wealth of their companies.
"Investing in Newspapers", from the WAN Shaping the Future of the Newspaper (SFN) project, examines the pressures on
newspaper stock prices in the United States and offers strategies and solutions for newspaper companies everywhere to
avoid the pitfalls that lead to declining valuations.
"All of us in the industry know the big strategic issues and challenges at play in the fast evolving digital world, and
that the really successful publishers are those who recognise and capitalise on the newspaper's relative position in the
busy media matrix," says Gavin O'Reilly, President of WAN, in the introduction to "Investing in Newspapers."
"In properly assessing the performance of newspapers, one needs to calmly analyse the underlying audience trends for our
industry the quantum of our readership and the quality demographic we deliver, coupled with the incremental and
growing audience that we garner online," he said. "The conclusion is that our industry is extremely well-positioned at
weathering the storm that is media fragmentation, guaranteeing as we do sizeable, reliable and relatively stable
audiences."
"Investing in Newspapers," one of seven annual SFN reports produced exclusively for WAN members, includes
recommendations from investment analysts on how to improve the value of public newspaper companies. These include:
- Increasing internet and mobile acquisitions and revenues;
- More aggressive advertising sales;
- Increasing emphasis on new product development;
- Portfolio diversification;
- More intensive customer focus, on both advertisers and consumers.
An executive summary is available without charge at http://www.wan-press.org/article16373.html.
"My belief is that newspapers have significant competitive advantages in today's media landscape, levers that I believe
they can better exploit, and which should allow them to make a successful leap into the digital future," said Paul
Ginnocchio, an analyst with Deutsche Bank, who is quoted in the report. "The list of key competitive advantages as I see
them: the best local media brand, by far the most significant source of local content and information, a significant
number of sales feet on the street."
The SFN reports are available exclusively to WAN members. To learn about the benefits of company membership in WAN, go
to http://www.wan-press.org/membership
The Shaping the Future of the Newspaper project identifies, analyses and publicises all important breakthroughs and
opportunities that can benefit newspapers all over the world. SFN provides WAN members with Strategy Reports on these
developments, a library of case studies and business ideas, and a wealth of other vital information for all those who
need to follow press industry trends. More on the project can be found at http://www.futureofthenewspaper.com.
WAN conducts the SFN project with support from five international partners -- PubliGroupe, the Swiss-based international
advertising and promotion group; MAN Roland, a leading company for newspaper production systems; UPM-Kymmene, one of the
world's leading printing paper producers; Telenor, the leading Norwegian telecommunications, IT and media group; and
Atex, the world¹s leading provider of content management software and services to the global media industry.
The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, defends and promotes press freedom and the
professional and business interests of newspapers world-wide. Representing 18,000 newspapers, its membership includes 77
national newspaper associations, newspaper companies and individual newspaper executives in 102 countries, 12 news
agencies and 11 regional and world-wide press groups.
ENDS