Those who advocate the abandonment of print for a digital-only world might want to look at the roster of speakers assembled by the World Association of Newspapers for the upcoming Power of Print conference, to be held in Barcelona, Spain, on 27 and 28 May next.
WAN is bringing together leading industry figures who are proving that publishing success comes from developing the print side, not abandoning it. The programme includes presenters from innovative and renowned companies on five continents, including News International, Axel Springer, PricewaterhouseCoopers, The Arizona Republic, MediaNews Group, Media24, Sydney Morning Herald, Gulf News, Moscow Times, JoongAng Ilbo and many more.
Though newspaper companies continue to deliver content across all available channels, they still make most of their revenue from print. The Power of Print conference, to be held concurrently with the annual World Newspaper Advertising Conference, is the first global conference for newspaper executives to explore new opportunities and successful strategies exclusively for the printed newspaper.
In fact, a recent study has shown for the first time that newspapers that abandon print for online-only delivery could be delivering their own demise as well.
The study, conducted by researchers at City University in London, focused on a case in which a Finnish business daily, Taloussanomat, cut its costs by 50 percent by abandoning print for online-only delivery. But the paper also saw its online readership drop 22 percent and its revenues fall by more than 75 percent.
The researchers found that the print product promotes online usage and that people use print newspapers differently than they use websites – the two platform interact and work together.
The Power of Print conference, on 27 and 28 May, will be followed by the World Newspaper Advertising Conference, on the 28th and 29th May, at the Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I in the heart of Barcelona.