Pittsburgh Post-Gazette going all digital

[InTheKnow22]

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is on track to be Sunday print, digital-only the other days very soon (before the end of the year). No firm date has been announced. The digital edition, which already is available now, is a hybrid product that resembles a printed paper but includes videos and links. It's expected this format, which the copy desk will continue to produce as if it were being printed, will continue indefinitely and more bells and whistles probably will be added. The publisher, who seems to actually care about journalism, has said he doesn't want to cut any newsroom jobs.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Four years ago our chain had a style/typefaces/etc. re-branding of the print product called "2020."

Print product may not even live to see the end of that year.

Given that chain's greed, lies and gross mismanagement, it's a wonder it has lived that long.

 

[I Should Coco]

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is on track to be Sunday print, digital-only the other days very soon (before the end of the year). No firm date has been announced. The digital edition, which already is available now, is a hybrid product that resembles a printed paper but includes videos and links. It's expected this format, which the copy desk will continue to produce as if it were being printed, will continue indefinitely and more bells and whistles probably will be added. The publisher, who seems to actually care about journalism, has said he doesn't want to cut any newsroom jobs.

As a copy editor, I'd be thrilled if the future of newspapers is producing print-style "pages" for an e-edition. I truly hope that's the case.

But when every other website/app is going to a Facebook-style "news feed" format, I'm not too confident.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

A good column by Ken Doctor of Newsonomics/NiemanLab on how publishers are preparing to dramatically cut back on "daily" newspaper print editions:

Newsonomics: The “daily” part of daily newspapers is on the way out — and sooner than you might think

They're calling it the 7/1 or 7/2 conversion — a print edition on Sunday (or Wednesday and Sunday) and online access via subscription the rest of the week.

I like the 7/2 idea. Your traditional Sunday paper with lots of ads, and then a Wednesday or Thursday edition with the grocery ads, weekend sale ad inserts, and all the weekend preview sports and entertainment stuff. Downsize those print editions from broadsheet to Berliner/midi format (12.4” x 18.5”). Focus the news-side editorial less toward breaking news and more toward longform and analytical pieces. No breaking stuff unless it’s an absolute whopper. Meeting and less important game results can go into the website, app, or E-edition; coverage in print can build off that.

Also, E-editions can be finally rethought, because PDF versions of broadsheet pages are unwieldy unless you’ve set your 1920 x 1280 screen up in portrait orientation). Make it fit into a horizontal HD-aspect screen, so it’s usable on a computer or horizontal tablet screen without scrolling all over the damned place (and printable on letter-sized paper).

Monday editions already lose money (ad revenue + subscription + single-copy sales < cost of newsprint + labor costs + ink cost) at most shops, and Tuesday editions are trending in that direction if not already there. I’d actually kill those first instead of Saturday as part of the initial transition, then focus on our strengths.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

Given that chain's greed, lies and gross mismanagement, it's a wonder it has lived that long.

Yeah, that’s gonna narrow it down.