WAN-IFRA: Influence of Print Endures

Paris, France, and Darmstadt, Germany
4 November 2009
For immediate release

(WAN-IFRA) reminds publishers that the print publishing business is innovating as fast as digital media, and has an even bigger impact on revenues and profits.

"The Power of Print" and "Publishing to Targeted Audiences" from the WAN-IFRA Shaping the Future of the Newspaper project examines the enduring appeal of print in the digital age, and provides strategic advice on building multimedia strategies that rely on print media for vigorous revenue growth.

The global newspaper industry is a US$182 billion business, with more than
1.9 billion daily readers -- facts that often get overlooked in the rush to "all things digital". Even in the most developed markets, digital media produces a fraction of the revenues produced by print publications. The reports examine scores of inspiring cases of new and innovative newspapers around the world.

"As the case studies and data show, print newspapers in some parts of the world are seeing only growth, while in other, more developed markets, the power of print is growing in a different way, as publishers carve out spaces in niche markets and better tailor print to the needs of their communities," says "The Power of Print".

"Publishing to Targeted Audiences", a companion publication to "The Power of Print," focuses on how to create promising "portfolio strategies" that includes print and digital publications aimed at segments such as age, gender, ethnicity, location and special interests. The report provides case studies of newspapers that are increasing circulation, reach, influence and revenues through such strategies.

"The SMART Publishing strategy, detailed in this report, requires publishers to understand their audiences better by conducting more reader research, and to tap into the infinite consumer databases available to them in order to get a detailed picture of media habits, consumer spending and other valuable indicators that will help bolster the newspaper company¹s relevance to audiences and advertisers," says the report.

The "Power of Print" report examines successful and innovative newspapers,
including:

- The Korean daily JoongAng Ilbo, which invested more than US$100 million this year in switching to a Berliner format, buying new printing presses, refurbishing its printing facility and putting more emphasis on quality news and information. The project was more than cosmetic: the focus is on building readers' trust, the essence of every quality newspaper's success.

- The new newspaper, "i" in Portugal, which has been hailed as a reinvention of the newspaper in the digital age. The newspaper does not follow traditional layout -- it leads with commentary and opinion, provides news in small bites, and includes lengthy articles on important subjects. Since its launch last April, circulation has been growing steadily in a market that already has 13 general interest dailies.

- The Nase Adresa (or "Our Address") hyperlocal newspaper project in the Czech Republic, which redefined "newsroom" as "news café" -- reporters and editors sit in the middle of public (and profitable) cafés in local communities, and have close contact with their audiences. The PPF Group has invested US$10 million in seven new weekly newspapers and 30 websites and plans to expand nationally.

²The Power of Print" and "Publishing to Targeted Audiences" are available exclusively to members of WAN-IFRA, which was created in July by the merger of the World Association of Newspapers and IFRA, the newspaper research and technology organisation. Members can download the report, and other members-only Strategy Reports on a variety of subjects, using their existing WAN and IFRA access codes, from http://www.futureofthenewspaper.com

Executive summaries of the reports are available to members and non-members alike and can be found http://www.wan-press.org/rubrique880.html.

WAN-IFRA is a leading provider of industry research and analysis. Its SFN project identifies, analyses and publicises all important breakthroughs and opportunities that can benefit newspapers all over the world. SFN provides WAN-IFRA 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.

WAN conducts the SFN project with support from four international partners

-- manroland, a leading company for newspaper production systems; Telenor, the leading Norwegian telecommunications, IT and media group; Atex, the leading supplier of solutions and services for advertising, content management, circulation and online applications; and Nörske Skog, the Norway-based global paper producer.

WAN-IFRA, based in Paris, France, and Darmstadt, Germany, with subsidiaries in Singapore, India, Spain, France and Sweden, is the global organisation of the world¹s newspapers and news publishers. It represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries.

ENDS

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