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Helsinki Edition
October 1998
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Papers on the net not the only future
By Thomas Felle
Ever since the American military developed a way to ensure their records could never be destroyed in a war, the idea that global data bases could someday connect mankind has been a reality.
The reality is that email has now connected almost 70% of the world's western population, and as many as 87% of academics admit they use the Internet and email regularly.
While newsrooms, in general, have not adopted electronic mail as an alternative to the fax or the telephone, newspapers have latched on to the idea that it is possible to publish on-line editions of their issues, accessible throughout the world instantly.
In Europe, papers including the Le Monde, the Süddeutsche Zietung, The Independent and The Irish Times have award winning sites, providing up to the minute information about the stories on papers, and updating these stories as the day unfolds. Very often these newspapers can give a fuller picture if a story is on the Internet as they are not restricted by space, nor time and so can update stories as they break.
Almost all of these newspapers are recording hundreds of thousands of hits each day, and Internet advertising on such web sites is big business. Robert Booth, Sales Director with Trinity Technology Group said that increasingly, advertisers are contacting their company, wishing to place ads on sites. "There is an increasing amount of people in the ABC 1 category, who are being targeted by advertisers, and newspapers are realising this will mean increased revenue for them."
Newspapers also offer email editions, that can be emailed to the addressee every day, at an average cost of about £100 stg per year depending on the paper. The revenue to the paper is about the same, as the printing and delivery costs are non existent, and advertising is an added bonus.
But it is unlikely that Internet editions of newspapers will, in the short term at least, replace the printed version. Head of Communications at the American University of Wyoming, Dr Conrad Smith has said he does not believe the printed press will disappear any time soon. "I suspect that on-line editions of newspapers, while increasingly important in the global world, will supplement, but never replace conventional newspapers. It is easier to browse a conventional rather than an on-line newspaper."
The costs of producing a print run are quite high, but the cost of producing the same newspaper on the Internet are almost negligible. In the future, it is clear that newspapers will become more accessible on the Internet, and while the computer will never replace the printing press, on-line versions will become as important and as recognised as the printed version. |
