Is there life in print yet?
I attended a session about the death of science magazines at the World Conference of Science Journalists yesterday, and Daniel Franklin, Executive Editor, The Economist and Editor in Chief, Economist.com had some interesting points to make about the longevity of The Economist’s print edition.
Unlike many other magazines, The Economist is still enjoying success in print, and grew over six per cent last year – despite the fact that content can be accessed for free online. Franklin attributed this to the publication’s subject matter – many people are curious about globalisation – and the fact that its subscribers have a real passion for and identification with the brand. But he also said the print edition had actually benefited from the internet in a positive way, as it cuts through online noise and clutter to give people clear information that is easy to digest, thus saving them time in the long run. He cited The Week and The New Yorker as other publications that do this well.
That’s not to say that The Economist isn’t experimenting a lot online (its Oxford style debates and Tea with The Economist interviews are testament to this), and he acknowledged that he is having to be creative about getting loyal customers to pay more through other revenue streams, such conferences and producing audio editions of the print publication.
But in the short-term at least, it seems that some people still think print is worth paying for - even if it’s just sentimental old fogies like me.
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