Regionals Decide Internet Is Attractive Proposition

Senior executives from Britain’s regional newspaper industry have decided that the Internet definitely is an attractive commercial proposition. The Newspaper Society held a forum on future strategy which was attended by 30 senior executives from a number of publishing groups, including Johnston Press, United Provincial Newspapers, Northcliffe Newspapers and Portsmouth and Sunderland Newspapers.

The forum voted on a number of key issues, concluding that:

• By the year 2020, a local newspaper will be a combination of a paper-based product, an on-line information system, accessed via the Internet, and a subscription service accessed via television, rather than one of the three.

• The greatest threat to the industry is on-line services, followed by cable TV.

• Regional press journalists to not have the skills to present TV or radio news items.

• Cable TV, followed by radio, offer the most attractive investment opportunities within broadcasting media for regional publishers. Digital terrestrial television, satellite TV and Channel 3 licenses are less attractive

• the Internet definitely is an attractive commercial proposition for regional publishers.

Newspaper Society: 0171 636 7014