I've never been one of the "print is dead" crowd, but news story after news story is making me slowly revise that idea. Take for example, this story on the Press Gazette site about the merger of Computing and IT Week into one title.
There's no doubt that both these titles and our competitor to them, Computer Weekly, have a tough challenge on their hands. The amount of information published about IT has grown exponentially over the past decade, largely on the back of blogging, and you have to question the value brought by journalists to that sphere when you have both the people making the products and the expert users of them sharing their experience online. In fact, unless you can provide the sort of investigative journalism the Tony Collins of the world produce, is there much point at all?
Despite the "good news, chums" approach to title mergers promoted by kids comics, us grown-ups know they only happen when the straits are distinctly dire for one of the titles. And I suspect the the most telling part of that Press Gazette article will prove to be this quote from Graham Harman of Incisive Media:
But that's not the only thing on the Press Gazette site that added to my evidence for the doom of print...
There's no doubt that both these titles and our competitor to them, Computer Weekly, have a tough challenge on their hands. The amount of information published about IT has grown exponentially over the past decade, largely on the back of blogging, and you have to question the value brought by journalists to that sphere when you have both the people making the products and the expert users of them sharing their experience online. In fact, unless you can provide the sort of investigative journalism the Tony Collins of the world produce, is there much point at all? Despite the "good news, chums" approach to title mergers promoted by kids comics, us grown-ups know they only happen when the straits are distinctly dire for one of the titles. And I suspect the the most telling part of that Press Gazette article will prove to be this quote from Graham Harman of Incisive Media:
"You have to look at the way people now source information, you can't just stick to the old practices and say 'that will do'. You have to say to yourself 'If I was launching into this market now what would I do? What do they want now and how do I service them?'"And in the IT space, the answer may well prove to be "not on paper".
But that's not the only thing on the Press Gazette site that added to my evidence for the doom of print...
When I heard that Press Gazette was switching to publishing once a month, with a features-led magazine, I thought it sounded like a good plan. It was exactly the sort of solution that could save a title - moving upmarket with a more analytical bent. So, I thought, I'd swing by and subscribe while I was on the site.How much to subscribe? £115. That's £7.67 per issue on the current "15 for the price of 12" offer or an eye-watering £9.58 without the offer. That's frankly insane. They're either relying on corporate subscriptions - not a good idea in the current financial climate - or they seriously over-estimate how much disposable income the average journalist has.
I'd love to support the new-style Press Gazette - but at that price, there's just no way I can.
