So, over the last 4/5 weeks I've put a lot of work into my PRP module. Originally, I had planned to explore the areas of CSS3 and HTML5, as these are the cutting edge technologies of my area of interest; web design. However, after discussion with my tutor we agreed that this topic did not have enough scope or background research.

After much thought I moved onto the effect that Internet has had on the business world. This was refined to concentrate on the media publishing industry and the final refinement was to specifically look at the news media publishing industry. So my final research question is as follows:

What are the pressures that continue to shape the contemporary news media publishing industry as it adapts to new opportunities made available by online platforms?

I read the relevant chapters of several pieces of literature during my research and noted down all quotes that I thought may be of use to me as well as all the terms that I thought may be interesting to talk about in my paper. I ended up with 16 pages worth of quotes and research notes which made subsequent work regarding my PRP a lot easier to handle.

After having done my research I planned each section of the document down to each point so I knew everything that I wanted to discuss in the paper, meaning all I had to do then was articulate the points I had noted down. I have since submitted my first draft and received largely positive comments from my tutor.

To provide a summary of my research document, here is my abstract taken from my first draft:

This research paper aims to identify the pressures that are continuing to shape the news media publishing business as it adapts to opportunities made available by online opoortunities. The Internet is at the heart of the challenge to the industry (Ward, 1998) so I will be examining the impact it has had and the challenges it has brought with it.

Declining newspaper readership, accelerated by the emergence of the Internet, underlines just how important it is for the industry to adapt to online opportunities, as revenue from physical sales dries up. The internets gigantic range of free to access sources has triggered a transition in power from the news provider to the consumer, who can now afford to be “selective in [their] consumption of information” (Stephens, 2007).

The Internet has also triggered other trends into motion such as citizen journalism (amateur/untrained journalism), which could be a reason for the perceived decrease in credibility of news content today. Furthermore, a new trend of ‘infotainment’ has emerged, with the ever increasing use of videos and audio podcasts to accompany news articles, raising the question; is the printed newspaper still enough to satisfy our entertainment needs?

News media publishing businesses will have to adapt their business models in order to take advantage of opportunities made available by online platforms. Models involving pay-per-click advertising, donation systems and subscription-based viewing are some of the main business models in use at this time. It has been argued that “Adaption to digital media is not an option, but a strategic necessity” (Birkenshaw, 2002).

It is fair to conclude that targeting will be utilised in a major way in the coming years in order to maximise revenue generated from online advertising. Additionally, selective consumption habbits may accelerate the demise of the newspaper, but ultimately, it can be concluded that if news media publishing businesses do not embrace the digital age, it is likely they will not be able to compete in the industry.

In contrast to the previous business models I have discussed for the monetising of online news content, the donations system relies on the reader for revenue, which involves the reader donating a sum of their choosing to the provider. Such a model can be hard to manage as income levels would vary due to the lack of control the news provider has. However, it could be argued that this model provides the greatest control over their income, as donation levels would be directly affected by the perceived quality of the news content provided. In this sense, the news provider has great control over the level of income they are likely to receive.

Wikipedia (although news is not their primary service) operates on a donations business model, relying on user donations to pay the bills. Recently Wikipedia have introduced a very large banner at the top of the page throughout their website, urging users to donate to keep the site ad-free.

Personally, I feel that if they need to produce huge banners to push users to donate, is it really any more beneficial than implementing ads on the site? These ads might discourage some from viewing the website due to their intrusive nature; but there are few adverts that would be more intrusive than the huge banner Wikipedia have temporary installed to encourage donations!

My previous post discussed The Times website and it's move to make all of its online news content viewable on a subscription only basis. This business model is strongly supported by The Times owner, Rupert Murdoch who believes that the viewing of all online news content should be paid for

As The Times website has shown, this business model can be devasting in terms of website traffic leading other newspaper providers to choose other business models for the distribution of their online content.

The Sun and The Daily Mail websites have opted to display adverts on their websites as a way of generating income through their online content. These ads can generate revenue through charging a fixed rate to display a particular sized advert banner. Alternatively, sites can recieve income based on the number of clicks an advert has received.

This method allows the newspaper websites to present their news content online free of charge; however these ads can also be rather intrusive and could actually distract or deter the reader from reading the news content.

I have recently been concentrating on research for my Personal Research Product within which I am focusing on the News Media Publishing industry and how it has been effected by the Internet and the challenges brought with it.

After some brief research into online business models for news organisations, I soon came accross Rupert Murdoch's strong views on the availability of online news content. His ideal web involves news platforms that are viewable on a subscription only basis; his main obstacle being the BBC who are obliged to deliver free online content.

However, determined to change the outlook for online news content, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp made a very brave decision in July of this year by making their website for The Times newspaper viewable to users on a subscription only basis.

I thought this was very interesting and helpful to my research into a news media publishing industry that is constantly being re-shaped. It has made me think; is this the mainstream birth of a widely adopted business model for online news? Or will it simply fail to hold water in an age where there are endless free alternatives?

Early signs are inconclusive. Four months after the 'paywall' went up, 100,000 people have paid to use their website in addition to a further 100,000 who are given free access as they subscribe to the printed version. However, website visits have decreased by 87% from 21 million unique users per month to just 2.7 million. Having said that, The Times themselves actually admitted that they "fully expected at least 90% of the audience to depart". So having lost 87%, can the move be deemed a success?

I suppose time will tell!

This is just a quick post regarding my progress with the Personal Research Project. After many [terrible] ideas, I have finally settled on a Research Question for my paper! So here it is:

What are the pressures that continue to shape the contemporary news media publishing industry as it adapts to new opportunities made available by online platforms?

I can finally crack on with some actual research now!

I hope to look at how news organisations have been pressured into altering their business models in order to take advantage of new online platforms, as the newspaper's value decreases due to the sheer volume of cheaper/more practical alternatives.