- Title
- Juggling print and online editions: exploring the factors behind the development and allocation of editorial content for the Newcastle Herald's print and online publications
- Creator
- Jack, Victoria; Scott, Paul
- Relation
- Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Annual Conference (ANZCA 2014). Refereed Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Conference: The digital and the Social: Communication for Inclusion and Exchange (Melbourne 9-11 July, 2014)
- Relation
- http://www.anzca.net/documents/2014-conf-papers/758-anzca14-jack-scott.html
- Publisher
- Australian and New Zealand Communication Association
- Resource Type
- conference paper
- Date
- 2014
- Description
- This study explores the factors motivating and influencing decisions concerning the development and allocation of news content to the online edition of the Newcastle Herald. In terms of copies sold, the Newcastle Herald is Australia’s largest regional newspaper. Along with other Fairfax Media stablemates and indeed the entire Australian newspaper industry, the Newcastle Herald has faced the challenge of trying to determine how best to shift its focus from the production of a solitary publication to complementary yet competing products in a manner that is financially sustainable. This has resulted in both tension and anxiety for the masthead’s decision-makers. Research concerning how decisions are made at multiplatform newspapers with regard to the allocation of content to an online edition has been surprisingly sparse, with most existing studies employing a quantitative focus. This paper responds to a lack of relevant qualitative studies by reflecting on accounts from in-depth interviews with those involved in making decisions about how content is developed for, and shared across, the Newcastle Herald’s print and online editions. Analysis revealed four key factors determining the nature and extent of online efforts: a desire to “save” content for the revenue-generating print product; a need to explore the opportunities of the online medium; the apportionment of resources across the online and print editions of multiplatform newspapers; and the ability to determine the type of content online audiences prefer. Ultimately, these factors suggest the Newcastle Herald’s online efforts will not be fully realised until online revenue outpaces the existing dominance of print profits.
- Subject
- online journalism; print media; Newcastle Herald
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1300879
- Identifier
- uon:20173
- Identifier
- ISSN:1448-4331
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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