How Apps Are Helping Print Media

It is no secret that print media is in trouble. There are countless newspapers and magazines that have had to close their doors, partly due to the economy, but many have also taken a hit from a growing number of readers getting their news for free on the web. I remember always having to pay to hear about the news when I was growing up unless it was on TV. What makes today so different?

The great thing about the newspaper is that you can hold it in your hand and perhaps save it and go back to it and read it another time. Once you watch the news on T.V. it is only covered once and then it is gone. The bad news is although it seems simple and light enough to carry, it can be destroyed on the go; and getting news on your computer or on your phone is more convenient…and most of the time it is free.

Search engines like Google are accessible on computers, and now mobile phones. These search engines are constantly working to make page indexing faster, which is making it easier to access breaking news from a variety of sources. This too negatively affects newspaper sales as online information is always fresher than newspapers, magazines, etc.

The point is people want to know the news. We enjoy reading about sports, current events, weather or even our own local news. The demand is there, but print media has had to diversify their method of delivery to cut some of their losses.

Many print media companies have recognized that new internet capabilities and sophisticated browsers on phones have allowed customers to log on and get news on demand. To support this idea, newspapers, like USA Today, and magazines, like People, have created mobile apps, or applications, that allows them to monetize (generate ad revenue, for instance) from their news websites. The great thing is web graphics and media make viewing a news story from your phone more exciting and interactive.

Giving readers news on the go, by purchasing apps has so far been successful even if an app is only purchased once. The trade off is that it is cheaper to publish information on the web rather than running a printing press. While this alone won’t save the print media, it slows decline, buys time for more innovation and development, particularly in the key revenue generating areas of banner ads and other online marketing methods.

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