So no further comment from Associated New Media about its decision to cut ten jobs and reduce online news coverage on ThisisLondon.com, website of the Evening Standard.Executive editor Nigel Vincent declined my offer to discuss the wider issue of online news 'cannibalising' print, but here's what I think.
Cutting online news content is madness - it will drive readers to rival news sites.
It comes down to the physicality of reading: If readers can't find the story they want on your website, they won't get up and head to the nearest newsagent. They will go to your competitor's site.
(It's the same with paid content - users won't pay to use a site if they can get the same content free elsewhere.)
Why do decreasing newspaper sales and increasing web readership have to be seen as a problem? This is part of an inevitable generational shift towards online news - providing a less effective online news service will not turn that tide.
What's the opposite of Associated New Media's decision? This gets interesting: Ten staff moved from the Evening Standard newspaper to the website, dedicated to covering faster and more comprehensive news and city stories as they happen. More cross promotion in the print edition, plugging the site's breaking news sections - an aggressive, up-to-the-minute news site that would be the number one destination for Londoners. But that's just an idea.
Surely the product to protect is the content, not the medium? In this case, that would be putting the content where the demand is - on the web.
Under pressure to protect their bottom line, I can see that internet revenue may still seem a fickle and alien concept. But surely the money is, or will eventually be, where the demand is?
Web advertising is booming, online news readership is growing and the opportunity to exploit this medium is immense. It's a shame newspaper publishers are still so in love with dead trees that they can't see a little further down the line.
How about a new title - perhaps ThisissomeofLondon.com? That might be better for the new slimline coverage.
Comments? Email me.
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