Publishers turn to text messages | How News UK and Reach use AI in the newsroom
And The Times, Mail and Haymarket share their insights on buying versus building publishing technologies
Good morning and welcome to your Press Gazette Future of Media newsletter on Thursday 26 September, brought to you this week in association with Q5 - experts in organisational health.
Newspaper columnists across London will nervously pick up a copy of the new weekly Evening Standard later today.
What if AI-generated Brian Sewell is as good (or even better) than the real thing was (RIP)?
Could the likes of Richard Littlejohn and Rod Liddle find their human selves replaced by ChatGPT? Maybe this has already happened.
Jokes aside, I take my hat off to the Evening Standard for a publicity stunt which has got people talking, but my hunch is that we are still a long way away from AI-generated comment (horoscopes maybe).
We do, however, have some useful examples of AI in action in the newsroom at News UK and Reach taken from our recent Future of Media Technology Conference.
We also have a geeky yet useful report on how Haymarket, DMG Media and The Times approach the conundrum of what to build and what to buy when it comes to publishing technology.
And finally, could it be that the answer to connecting with readers without kowtowing to fickle social media platforms has been sitting in our hands for 30 years?
We report on how publishers in the US are driving engagement, reducing subscriber churn and even selling stuff to readers by sending out billions of text messages.
A reminder: Entries to the 2024 British Journalism Awards for public interest journalism close tomorrow, Friday, at midnight.
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On Press Gazette
The joy of text: Publishers use old tech to reach new readers
“So we have a lot of clients that will use text as an alternative to email newsletters, with the added benefit – and I think this is cool – of leveraging the bilateral nature of the communication, meaning you can send a message to all of your subscribers and ask a question.”
How News UK and Reach are using AI in the newsroom
Reach editorial director Paul Rowland said there is “a big opportunity for us in repackaging particular stories and pieces of content into formats, summaries that are relevant, that are customised to different audiences, different age demographics, different platforms, so we can get multiple value out of one piece of content in a more efficient way”.
Winning technology strategies shared by Times, Mail and Haymarket
“I think it's about the newsroom working very closely with the product team and with the marketing team, because if that connective tissue isn't working well, it's like a three-legged stool. If one element doesn't work, then you're not going to be able to continue to build your audience and build your subscriber base.”
Brian Sewell’s estate ‘delighted’ with one-off AI resurrection of Standard column
Paul Kanareck, the interim chief executive of the newspaper, told Press Gazette: “The London Standard is a bold and disruptive new publication.”
Press Gazette highlights
Michael Gove to replace Fraser Nelson as Spectator editor under new ownership
Hearst UK reports operating loss for 2023 but says ads are recovering
Top 50 news websites in the US: Most sites see traffic drop after bumper July
Entertainment Daily owner Digitalbox launches specialist sites after Google changes
AI-aggregated newsletter firm changes logo after Buzzfeed legal threat
‘Bastards’: Publishers remain focused on alternatives despite Google cookies U-turn
Local press ‘does not have to be in decline’ says Newsquest as it grows profits