Shaping the Future of the Newspaper Blog - Printing and Production

Jornal do Brasil ends print edition today

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:45:16 -0600

Starting today, one of Brazil's oldest newspapers will be available online-only. Due to mounting debts and low circulation, the Jornal do Brasil has stopped publishing a print version, the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas reported.

"Quality. Interactivity. Respect for Ecology. Alignment with the future. Innovation," the publication stated in defense of its switch to online-only. The decision was the result of lengthy analysis and a reader survey. "In these last weeks, some readers of JB - and especially many non-readers - have expressed legitimate and democratically in favour of maintaining the paper version of the newspaper ... In their arguments, there have been references to the story of JB, its great characters, the glorious career as a space for freedoms. The fact is that these assets are not lost, but expanded again in the electronic medium," the article states. "They can not choose to close their eyes - not to the future - but to the present media around the world: the way, relentless and increasing the digital age ... The JB will still exist - agile, modern and influential."

Polish publisher Agora launches Metro edition in Berlin

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:02:15 -0600

Polish free daily Metro is launching a German edition of its newspaper in Berlin, Newspaper Innovation reported today.

Owned by Polish publisher Agora, the German edition will carry a circulation of 30,000.

Bild to publish 3D edition

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:40:04 -0600

A special edition of Germany's largest daily will hit the newsstands on August 28, in which all the photos and advertising will be in 3D, Efe reported yesterday.

The newspaper, which has a circulation of 3.8 million copies, will also give away the 3D glasses so readers can enjoy the three-dimensional effect. However, the text will be published in its regular format.

Mexico's free daily El Nuevo Siglo goes online only

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:57:06 -0600

Mexican free daily El Nuevo Siglo has stopped its print edition, and will now be available as an online-only newspaper, Newspaper Innovation reported today.

Founded in 2000 as a weekly newspaper, the Guadalajara-based newspaper became a daily publication in 2004, and also published weekend editions. No reason for shuttering its print edition was given.

Thailand newspaper publishes anniversary edition in 3D

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 09:19:48 -0600

The Bangkok Post published today a 3D newspaper to celebrate its 64th anniversary, becoming the first daily in Thailand to produce an edition of this kind, The Star reported.

"You may be surprised to find the colors blur into each other in some photos, but you'll be amazed and fascinated when you see them through special 3D viewer glasses distributed free with the newspaper," The Bangkok Post explained in an article published in its front page.

Photo: The daily's front page shows a 3D-picture of a woman looking at Bua Sawan flowers

Montreal newspaper to cease Sunday edition

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:15:54 -0600

The Gazette, Montreal's English-language newspaper, will eliminate its Sunday print edition and instead offer an online version, The Toronto Star reported.

"In its 22-year existence, the Sunday Gazette has struggled to find significant advertising support to cover the costs of printing and distribution," said Gazette's publisher and editor-in-chief Alan Allnutt in a statement posted on the daily's website.

SFN report: Outsourcing and offshoring part of publishers' plans to save in the future

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:10:14 -0600

Newspaper publishers have found that onetime cost cuts are not enough to streamline their businesses for the future. Instead, lowering costs must be done as part of a long-term business strategy; and for many companies, part of that strategy includes outsourcing, SFN's Million Dollar Strategies for Newspaper Companies reported.

Saving money through outsourcing and/or offshoring has grown in popularity because it is not a one-time fix to help numbers on a current earnings report, but rather it is part of a plan for the future.

Brazilian newspaper wants to eliminate its print edition

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:41:38 -0600

The Jornal do Brasil, which in 1995 became the first Brazilian newspaper to launch an online edition, is studying whether it should stop publishing its print edition and offer only an Internet version, the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas revealed.

In a half-page ad published in its June 30 edition and under the title "Your opinion for the future," the newspaper invited readers to participate on an online survey regarding the publishing change. According to the announcement, the goal of the national daily is "to reinforce and prioritize its digital platform."

Journal Register Co. publishes 18 newspapers using free online software

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:51:51 -0600

As the news publishing industry continues to try and figure out a viable economic model to replace print revenues, the Journal Register Company believes the future of journalism and the print industry lies in community crowdsourcing and the usage of free publishing tools available on the Internet.

To prove it, the American media company produced on Sunday the print editions of its 18 dailies and their website content using only free web-based sofwares such as Picasa, Gimp and Scribus, Editor & Publisher reported.

Photo: John Paton

SFN report: More than 166 U.S. newspapers have closed or stopped printing since '08

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 13:25:43 -0600

Since 2008, more than 166 newspapers in the United States have closed down or stopped publishing a print edition, according to Paper Cuts, SFN's Million Dollar Strategies for Newspaper Companies reported.

More than 39 titles did so in 2008, and the number rose to 109 in 2009. So far in 2010, more than 18 papers have closed down or stopped publishing a print version.

French pro-am news website, Rue89 forays into print from online

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:24:30 -0600

Rue89, the French pro-am news website launched its first monthly print edition, Rue89 Le Mensuel, last week, that translates as Rue89 the monthly, Journalism.co.uk reported.

While the decision to go from online to print was an editorial and commercial one, according to founder Pierre Haski, this move aims to "replicate in print the spirit of the website: serendipity and an eclectic choice of stories written both by journalists and non-journalists, accompanied with selected comments from our web audience."

SFN report: Green adoption is generally strong and growing

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:40:39 -0600

Around the world, newspapers are recognizing the value and promise for the future that is created by implementing a green strategy. The move to be more environmentally friendly is happening across businesses, consumers and governments. For their part, news publishers are taking a hard look at efficiencies that can be implemented across their value chains, such as more aggressive recycling schemes, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, lowering electricity usage and better ways of handling e-waste, SFN's Going Green reported.

InfoTrends, a U.S.-based market research and strategic consulting firm for the digital imaging and document solutions industry, partnered with the North American Publishing Company in January 2008 to create a new quarterly tracking programme called "Emerging Strategies in Production Print." The project is aimed at polling print service providers on the hottest industry topics.

First independent private daily 'News Day' launches in Zimbabwe after seven years

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:39:11 -0600

Celebrating press freedom, Zimbabwe's newly created media commission granted licenses to allow the launch of four new private dailies last week, including the Daily News, a popular newspaper banned in 2003 for taking on the government of President Robert Mugabe. The country today saw the launch of one of its first licensed independent private daily, News Day, after seven years, TimesLive.co.za reported.

The newly launched private daily is owned by Alpha Media Holdings, and headed by Trevor Ncube. The company publishes two weeklies in Zimbabwe, and the Mail and Guardian in South Africa. The launch of News Day "represents the hope of a tortured nation," Ncube told Reuters. "NewsDay will play a leading role in national healing, nation building, reconciliation and reconstruction."

Dubai's Atlas Media to print international newspaper titles

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:52:47 -0600

Dubai-based Atlas Media Communications has entered into an agreement with Newspaper Direct to print up to twelve international newspaper titles in the UAE, The National reported last week.

The deal is part of a US$4 million (Dh14.69 million) business plan that includes the possibility of franchise agreements in other regional markets as well.

Image: The National

British Library launches 10-year newspaper digitisation project

Wed, 19 May 2010 13:00:52 -0600

The British Library announced a partnership with online publisher brightsolid to digitise up to 40 million newspaper pages from its at Colindale archives, and make them online accessible, according to Culture 24.

This will includes 52,000 local, regional, national and international titles since up to the last three centuries.