The headline says it all, Northcliffe websites overtake newspapers. The digital sceptics and naysayers will doubtless make entirely spurious points about the sites being less profitable than their elder newsprint cousins. They are, of course, correct.
But that's a commercial cavil, not a journalistic one. Nor does it say anything about the choice citizens are making on a daily basis by logging on rather than seeking out their local newsagent (or supermarket). There is no point in publishers pouring resources into newsprint when the audience is deserting.
Note the key factor involved in Northcliffe Media's decision: hyperlocality. Virtually all the provincial publishers have come to understand that the historical relationships built up between their papers – their brands, if you like – and the people in relatively small communities could still prove crucial.
Regional daily papers covering huge metropolitan areas or large conurbations may be doomed. But many local weekly papers have managed to preserve the loyalty of their readers. Before those readers turn their backs on the papers, therefore, it makes sense to offer them a news service via the increasingly popular online platform.
At the same time, publishers who wish to build a commercial base for those hyperlocal websites must ensure that it is rewarding for people to use them for classified ads. I'm sure that greater participation in the editorial content will encourage people to use them as a one-stop shop, turning citizens into news-gatherers, news-consumers and advertisers. It could be a virtuous circle.
The signs are positive. Northcliffe Media's director of marketing, Sean Mahon, claimed that the company's sites "have 200,000 interactions" each month "be that voting, commenting or registering." It's a start.
Most of that traffic appears to be for the larger sites launched by the dailies, the Hull Daily Mail and the Nottingham Evening Post. But the future lies in attracting smaller, but devoted, audiences for the local titles. These niche sites will, in aggregate, pay greater dividends in the end.
