Monday, March 30, 2020 |
| The coronavirus pandemic is proving the value of local news to millions of readers, driving up subscriptions. But the advertising collapse is knee-buckling. “If it’s a couple of months, we’ll make it through. If it’s six months, all bets are off.” By Ken Doctor. |
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| With revenues crashing, alt-weeklies and other outlets have been forced to get creative. By Joshua Benton. |
What We’re ReadingThe Guardian / Jim Waterson
U.K. national newspaper sales down “as much as 30%” under lockdown →“Industry sources suggested sales of print outlets briefly rose in the run-up to the lockdown but have collapsed since people were asked to stay at home…Print revenue — both from the cover price paid by readers and print adverts — continues to provide the majority of revenue at most British newspapers, often in effect underwriting the cost of free online content.”Press Gazette / Charlotte Tobitt
Coronavirus could force closure of “most” U.K. hyperlocal news publishers within weeks →“Three-quarters of independent news providers in the UK fear they are at risk of temporary or permanent closure because of the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis, a survey has shown…’Last week [advertising] was disappearing within the first few days…It was dire last week, I don’t know even know what the word for more than dire is but that’s where we are.”News Media Alliance / David Chavern and Dean Ridings
Newspaper associations send an open letter to President Trump and Congressional leaders →“Obviously, independent journalism and government action have an inherent and necessary tension, and we should look for solutions that maintain a separation of interests. But we also all have a mutual need to sustain local news publishing so that it can collectively get us through this crisis … and the next one.”The Daily Beast / Maxwell Tani
Gannett announces company-wide pay cuts and furloughs →“Everyone will be touched by these changes in some form,” said Gannett CEO Paul Bascobert. “For some it will be economic, for others it will mean covering the work of a colleague on furlough, for many it will be both.”Twitter / Phil Scott
Republican Vermont governor Phil Scott asks residents to support local media →“Few things are more important than having the facts and being informed. That’s why today I’m asking you, if you’re able, to support local journalism.”WSJ / Sahil Patel
Loss of live sports upends ESPN’s marketing plans →One new ad features “uplifting sports moments such as the recent National Hockey League game in which a Zamboni driver filled in as a last-minute goalie. It ends with the message ‘We miss it, too.'” The declining viewership has ESPN considering redirecting more marketing money to promote itself outside of the TV networks and digital platforms it owns.The Toronto Star / Daniel Bernhard
Canada’s media is “on the brink of mass failure” →“This is a six-alarm fire. If Ottawa does not treat this as an emergency and act accordingly, Canadians will be left with few sources of reliable information about how to protect ourselves and our families from COVID-19…As of Thursday, you could buy all Torstar stock for just $21 million…For its part, the CBC is so underfinanced that it cancelled all local TV news broadcasts last week.”Twitter / Erin Millar
The Facebook grant program for covering COVID-19 got 900 applications →“Reviewing applications for @Facebook Local News COVID-19 fund and it’s terrifying how in trouble local news is right now…The need is huge.”Tampa Bay Times
The Tampa Bay Times cuts print down to two days a week →“The company reported a surge in traffic to its website — tampabay.com — and growth in digital subscriptions over the last few weeks, but those gains are not strong enough to make up for advertising losses.”Facebook / Campbell Brown
Facebook announces $25 million in direct grants to news orgs →Plus committing another $75 million in marketing spend — buying ads in media around the world. CNBC / Megan Graham
News sites ask for advertisers to stop blocking their ads from appearing on coronavirus-related content →“Certain types of ads are still likely to be considered inappropriate. For example, a cruise company wouldn’t want to promote deals near a news story about an outbreak on a ship. But stories about everyday life amid the pandemic, if the messaging is respectful, should largely be considered safe for brands.”New York Times / Brett Sokol
Community radio fights to stay live (and weird) despite coronavirus →Staffed largely by volunteers, noncommercial community radio has been forced into hastily improvising a response to the growing spread of Covid-19. “At dublab, the electronic dance music-flavored station in Los Angeles, each broadcast day now begins with a new episode of ‘The Quarantine Tapes’: short phone interviews with hunkered-down artists including the former Black Flag singer and author Henry Rollins and the filmmaker Werner Herzog.”The Colorado Independent / Corey Hutchins
Newspapers across Colorado are talking directly to their readers →“Revenue from advertisements, which had declined gradually over the years, has steepened its slide as local businesses suffer themselves. The future of The Daily Sentinel relies on you, our subscribers. Please consider renewing or extending your subscription now.”
Nieman Lab / Fuego / Encyclo
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