Ofcom research shows strong support for tighter internet regulation
BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones reveals Parkinson's diagnosis after viewers spot hand shaking on air
JPI Media reveals paywall trials at two regional dailies in response to falling ad revenues
By James Walker Twitter
JPI Media has revealed plans for a paywall trial at two of its regional daily titles in the face of falling advertising revenues.
In an email to staff, seen by Press Gazette, JPI Media editor-in-chief Jeremy Clifford said the metered paywalls would launch with a trial offer of £1 per month for three months, rising to £8 per month thereafter.
Blackpool Gazette and Portsmouth News are the first two to trial the new subscription model, according to the email, which will offer readers five free articles per week before prompting them to subscribe.
In his email to staff, Clifford said the new subscription model would give readers an "enhanced online experience" that would mean fewer adverts and access to newsletters and app versions of publications.
He said the company was looking to build a "sustainable business", adding: "We are now one step closer on our journey through the launch of a subscription model that will help us develop a new income stream, while reducing our exposure to falling advertising revenues."
A JPI Media spokesperson said the trial would help the company to understand "the propensity for users to subscribe on the two titles involved" and that others would follow.
"The results will help define what our subscription strategy should be across the rest of the business," they said.
In his email, Clifford also said that financial support from readers allowed "journalists the freedom to report and investigate the important stories of our time", adding that JPI Media "don't expect to see results overnight".
A senior source at the publisher, which has some 200 newsbrands including the Yorkshire Post and national daily the i newspaper, told Press Gazette they were sceptical of the paywall plans.
The source said: "Our papers are getting worse. That is no reflection of the journalists who work on them, but on the collapse in the number of staff – the company is currently in the process of cutting 10 per cent of its journalists.
"How they expect to get people to pay for something which used to be free, whilst simultaneously making that product worse, is a mystery."
Press Gazette first revealed JPI Media's plans to trial paywalls in March, when Clifford told staff they were one of "quite a few" possible options being considered in the face of poor advertising revenues.
The roll-out has been announced a month after staff were told that the publisher would cut up to 70 editorial staff across its titles.
JPI Media has also shuttered offices and introduced a 'digital first' pilot newsroom restructure since the start of the year.
The company is owned by four former Johnston Press bondholders who bought the publisher's assets in a pre-pack administration deal last year.
JPI Media to trial 'digital first' newsroom restructure at north east titles
The i and Scotsman publisher JPI Media considers paywall roll-out amid ad revenue concerns
Gender pay gap figures in full: Conde Nast, Telegraph and Economist groups among worst offenders for pay disparity in UK media
Court face-off between Max Clifford and former royal butler over secrets leaked to News of the World
JPI Media
Paywalls
3 thoughts on "JPI Media reveals paywall trials at two regional dailies in response to falling ad revenues"
Mike Cooper says:
If a regional newspaper has even a half-decent story it will be on local radio and possibly TV before long. Even the dumbest of readers must realise that. Previous paywall experiments have failed and there is no indication that this will be any different. If even Murdoch could not make the Sun's paywall work what hope has JPI? No advertiser is going to pay when these sites have 100 or less subscribers, so any revenue generated will be quickly lost. It is not even as though JPI's sites are good with a host of 'must read' stories.
Peter Collins says:
Whilst The Sun's paywall was a car-crash, The Times and Sunday Times have been doing well with their paywalls. The selling story of "newspaper" paywalls has to be the depth of coverage – investigating the story behind the story – not just informed but well-informed. You don't get that on radio or in TV bulletins*.
Whilst The Sun's scale means it can survive based on eyeballs, the rest of the publishing industry is waking up to the fact that Google & social media will not just eat their lunch but breakfast and dinner too. It has to do something.
For me, going back to paid content is the only way to go -people are becoming better used to paying for subscription services (certainly the millenials are) and technology has made it easier to process micropayments (almost like buying a daily paper in a shop!). I hope that when the history of news"papers" is examined the period of "free content" will be looked at as a aberration as the industry reverts to having readers paying for the content they want to read.
* of course if there is no interest in paying for the content being written, it will wither and die. Same as it ever was.