Chiswick, a local news oasis | Newsletter strategies from i, FT and Metro
And the new IT publication which is not what it seems...
Welcome to this week’s Press Gazette Future of Media newsletter on Thursday, 12 June.
There is a land where local journalism remains mighty. A town where not one but three local news titles compete for stories.
This wondrous place is called Chiswick, a leafy west London suburb on the banks of the Thames.
I may be over-egging Chiswick’s status as a journalism Shangri-La a little. But it is inspiring nonetheless to hear from publishers who feel that grassroots ultra local journalism has a sustainable future.
Today Press Gazette also takes a deep dive into newsletter strategy at three leading publishers. The Scotsman is rolling out paid-for limited series newsletters, Metro has revamped its website sign-ups and The i Paper has also beefed up its newsletter game.
In our latest report from the front line of what I am calling ‘the reality wars’, Rob Waugh has investigated a new IT title in which he detects the dead hand of AI to be at work.
Like some of those expert commentators we have previously exposed, the editors of this new publication have suspiciously small online footprints for people who claim to have been at the forefront of IT journalism for 20 years.
And finally our latest podcast is now live and offers a masterclass in video for publishers from PA Media’s Joe Pickover. He explains how to do online video well and also shares insights into how to make money from it.
***Future of Media Awards deadline is on 19 June***
This event celebrates the websites, apps, podcasts, newsletters and commercial strategies which are lighting the way to a profitable future for journalism in the digital age. Find out more here and remember to finalise your entry by 19 June for the chance to shower in glory at the awards dinner in September.
New on Press Gazette:
Chiswick: Local news oasis
“A lot of big ad agencies are swinging back to traditional media. Print is about 40% cheaper to produce than before Covid. The commercial side is strong again.”
Newsletter strategies: Insights from The Scotsman, Metro and The i Paper
“I think importantly you can’t just treat your readers as just a passive thing you send emails to. I think it does need to be a reciprocal relationship.”
New IT publication appears to be largely AI-generated
A apparent team photo on the “About Us” page features a picture of nine people standing in front of the company logo. The picture is in fact an edited stock image posed by models available via the agency Shutterstock.
Must reads from Press Gazette
RIP Barbara Santini: How Journalists are adding extra checks to keep ahead of the fake experts
How 20-strong PA Media puzzles team feeds growing publisher demand for brain teasers (Promoted)
New London culture title to launch in September with five-strong team
This message will self-destruct: Guardian launches new secure tech for sources
Around ten staff axed in Techcrunch move to scrap Europe coverage
Telegraph withdraws banker school fees story after being deceived by source
Staying true to ‘core cause’ has helped Stylist survive bonfire of the free mags
Google ‘handling stolen goods’ with Youtube theft of paywalled news articles
Why Business Insider is axing 100-plus staff and who is leaving
Latest podcast: Video masterclasss with PA Media's Joe Pickover
UK national news agency PA Media has massively ramped up its video output in recent years and is able to provide live video feeds of news events across the country. Here PA head of video Joe Pickover explains how publishers can make video work for them in a podcast edition which is presented by Press Gazette in association with PA Media.