A week ago, Technology Review editor Jason Pontin posted a comprehensive critique of the current state of magazine and newspaper publishing. He married his analysis with recommendations on how media businesses must change their approaches to circulation, advertising and editorial.
The post is long but worth the effort to read, and re-read. Two things struck me as particularly useful to remember: charge more for content, even if it means that you lose some of your current audience; and make content agile, distributing widely across multiple platforms.
Pontin’s prescription will feel like a lot of tough love for beleaguered media businesses. It is. As he says, “Neither resentment nor hope are business strategies.”
