A leading regional editor has said there is “plenty of life” left in newspapers – but admitted it was impossible to predict their future beyond 10-15 years.

Northern Echo editor Peter Barron was taking part in a debate about the future of the regional press staged at London’s City University.

Asked how long regional newspapers had got left, he said: “We are obviously facing a digital future, but I still think newspapers have a future for at least 10-15 years.”

However he added that he was not predicting the death of print, merely that it was impossible to predict what might happen beyond that timescale.

Writing on his blog, Peter said the discussion had provided “plenty of food for thought.”

“My message was that there is still plenty of life in local newspapers. A paper like The Northern Echo still has a healthy, loyal readership and it is attracting more and more readers to its website.

“It’s all about retaining those traditional readers and, at the same time, making sure The Northern Echo continues to embrace the digital age.”

During the discussion, chaired by blogger Roy Greenslade, Peter also admitted that while a “generational shift” was taking place in newspaper readership, he had given up trying to get young people in the North-East to become readers.

Comments

j (03/12/2009 10:08:12)
the real problem, surely, is what happens when the older habit-buying readers start to die off. Most of the kids in London seem totally unaware that there is a local media, let alone regular buyers. who knows? fascinating, if not painful for us journos, to watch.

George Kelly (03/12/2009 10:27:13)
You’ve got it ‘j’ – I have just completed a report on the importance of young people and their lack of interest in news, especially local news.
We need to attract the news consumer whether to print or electronic and we are not doing it.
Let’s reach the young today!

Yvo (03/12/2009 10:38:22)
The thing is few young people have ever been interested in local papers.
As people age they tend to grow into newspapers as they put down roots. Fewer younger people may buy papers, but to some extent that decline will be offset by the fact that there will be more older people about… hopefully still buying!

richard meredith (03/12/2009 10:54:48)
Shame on you Roy Greenslade – as chair of this discussion and with your great experience of our trade, surely you could have got something more relevant than ‘I think we’ve only get 10 years left’ from the panel.
Truth is, no matter what we produce – on paper, on screen, on air or whatever, it’s the content what counts, stupid. Our audience – and that covers everyone from uni students to grumpy old codgers in their bath-tubs – will stay or become loyal to any product if they think it’s got something inside it they want (and preferably can’t find elsewhere). Canny old Rupert M is taking a big bet that the content on his papers is worth paying for. Maybe – and not for the first time – he might actually be right. Johnson Press on the other hand, having taken a scythe to many of their best journos and a hatchet to investment, are now expecting people to pay for inferior and dumbed-down newsheets. Time to wake up and smell the coffee Roy!

Chris Youett (03/12/2009 11:08:54)
The newspaper industry gave up trying to attract younger readers in 1950s when paper rationing was abolished. the Dirty Digger isn’t being canny in charging for online content. The computer industry has known for 30 years that people will pay a premium for online services. This is why IT makes shed loads of profit every day – and the media is in the smelly stuff.

happyjack (03/12/2009 11:10:03)
As a weekly editor, I always tried to have something in the paper that would appeal to young people if they happened to pick it up when it was in the house but never saw many likely to become avid readers until… they got a place of their own and started having an interest in property prices, a responsibility for putting the bins out, an interest in which schools are best etc. That’s the point where you hook them in and still can. We’re not just faced with older readers dying off, we can get new readers who will be around for many years if we target the right point in their lives and don’t think that reviewing bands and computer games will win them over in their teens.

richard meredith (03/12/2009 12:34:49)
Talk of the (old) devil … this just came through. Pls go here –
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=6&storycode=44737&c=1

opto (03/12/2009 13:20:39)
Barron may well be proved right but ONLY if owners like JP start to value quality instead of number crunching and reducing staff to crisis levels.
There’s a growing realisation in local media that there’s no crock of gold in the internet and paper circulation might just revive.
As for young people not being interested in papers. That’s as much news as saying Xmas Day is on December 25.

JP Worker (03/12/2009 14:13:44)
I agree Opto. The short-sighted seem to believe radically slashing the workforce and stripping resources will save the newspapers. It might make the bank manager smile and it might even help the MD curry favour with the bigwig but it’s crippling papers further in the long-term. And guess what? Readers notice that.