1. Damian Radcliffe > @damianradcliffe
LION Summit 2019, November 2019
Digital Media + Journalism
19 things we learned in 2019

2. Advertising + Revenue

3. Subscriptions
the main
revenue focus
for 52% of
publishers in
2019
No 1.

4. Out-of-home
(OOH) only
traditional ad
market to
grow in 2019
No 2.

5. Mobile = 33% of ad
spend, up from
0.5% in 2010.
Print down from
27% to 7% in less
than a decade.
No 3.

6. Obits worth $500 million
a year to local US newspapers
• More than a million paid obituaries created annually.
• But fraction of $25 billion in advertising and subscription income.
“Obits, alongside public notice ads, are one of the last remaining
consistent revenue streams that local newspapers rely on, although
both are being challenged by the digital age.” (Axios)
• Social media, other obit services, and the “rise of free death notices”
are threats to this revenue stream.
No 4.

7. Podcasting + Audio

8. Podcasting’s
share of audio
listening has
more than
doubled in five
years
No 5.

9. More than
one in five
Americans
now own a
smart speaker
No 6.

10. Consumption habits

11. Americans
spend more
time on mobile
devices than
watching TV
“As recently as 2014, the average US
adult watched nearly 2 hours more
TV than they spent on their phones.”
No 7.

12. Social Media = 1/7 of our waking livesNo8.

13. More than 1
billion stories
shared daily
across the
Facebook
family
No 9.

14. Newspaper Industry

15. Newsrooms
nearly half the
size they were
a decade ago
Newspaper newsroom
employees down 47%
2008 - 2018
No 10.

16. 1,800 papers closed since 2004No 11.

17. About 1,300 U.S. communities
have totally lost news coverageNo 12.

18. U.S. local newspapers produce
nearly 50% of original news stories
“Local newspapers
significantly outperform
local TV, radio, and
online-only outlets in
news production, both in
overall story output and
in terms of stories that
are original, local, or
address a critical
information need.”
No 13.

19. Attitudes to Journalism

20. Half U.S. adults say
“made-up news”
is a big problem
“U.S. adults blame political leaders and activists far
more than journalists for the creation of made-up
news intended to mislead the public.”
“But they believe it is primarily the responsibility of
journalists to fix the problem. And they think the
issue will get worse in the foreseeable future.”
No 14.

21. Some audiences
switching off
Reasons “may be
because the world has
become a more
depressing place or
because the media
coverage tends to be
relentlessly negative – or
a mix of the two.”
No 15.

22. Little awareness of
financial challenges
• Only 10% said quality of coverage was
the top reason for not paying.
• For non-payers, widespread availability
of free content tops the list (49%).
• Those who pay for local news have
slightly more positive attitudes about
their local news media.
No 16.

23. Journalistic
processes
seldom
understood
No 17.

24. Audience needs

25. No 18.

26. White, older, more-
educated Americans
more likely to
have spoken with
local journalists
No 19.

27. What this means for you

28. 10 Strategic Implications
Revenue
1. Subscriptions, mobile and income diversification
are key focus.
2. Must demonstrate value, impact and relevance
(making more likely to $$$).
Journalistic Practice
3. Need to interview a wider range of sources.
4. Essential to explain:
 Why pay for journalism
 Journalistic processes (e.g. anonymous sources)

29. Platforms
5. Importance of mobile and good UX shines through.
6. Audio more important ($ + media time), yet cluttered.
7. Social media adoption plateaus + shifts to Stories format.
Trust
8. “Made-up” news / news avoidance issues unlikely to go away soon.
Future
9. Newspapers as paper of record (obits), impact/value of original reporting.
10. Opportunity for LION members to bridge gaps (geographic and coverage).

30. Thanks for listening.
Email: damianr@uoregon.edu
Twitter: @damianradcliffe
Web: www.damianradcliffe.com

31. https://www.sovrn.com/50-
ways-to-make-media-pay-
report/