Online technology and the Ohio newspaper company: Strategic media economics decisions.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to examine the financial aspects of the web editions of daily newspapers. Most newspapers now have electronic versions of their products, and this is a critical time for publishing on that platform. The majority of online newspapers have been giving away quantities of news content gathered by their paid reporters. The apparent danger is that giving such information away on the Internet will reduce the demand for paid subscriptions and street sales. Thus, many newspapers are re-evaluating their distribution of Internet news. This is an important issue as society begins a mature phase of Internet information distribution.; Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent by local newspapers to get their product on the Web, and even more will be invested to retain their Web presence. Although some publishers are remaining profitable in the task, others have unfortunately tanked, and reasonable explanations must be found for both. Through the implementation of an online survey, questions about profitability, promotion, pricing, staffing, subscriptions and technology were answered. The expectation is that this information can be utilized by newspaper publishers to provide a better product and remain profitable in their online operations.; The foundation of this project's success was the literature review, the survey results, and the final analysis, which has illuminated where Ohio online newspapers are today, and what they need to do to lock-in profitability in the, publishing marketplace. Although a number of specific references in the literature review provided gloomy forecasts for publishers, the concluding analysis of this paper shows that online newspapers are not bearing unnecessarily large risks in providing content for free, and that most have positioned themselves well to remain profitable in future years.