Finding New Business Models for Newspapers

Paris, France and Darmstadt, Germany, 17 November 2009 For immediate release

World Editors Forum: Finding New Business Models for Newspapers

One of the most intriguing new business models for newspapers -- an individualised newspaper in Germany composed of selected pages and sections from other papers, delivered each morning to one's door -- will be examined when the world's press gathers in India next month for the World Newspaper Congress, World Editors Forum and Info Services Expo 2009.

Wanja Oberhof, co-founder of niiu, which combines paper format with internet convenience, has joined the programme of the World Editors Forum, and will speak in a session devoted to some of the most promising business models being developed today.

The Congress, Forum and Expo, the global summit meetings of the world's press, will be held in Hyderabad, India, from 1 to 3 December. There is still time to register: full details are available at http://www.wanindia2009.com

Niiu, launched in Berlin this week, allows subscribers to choose their news sources daily from national, local or international newspapers and internet news sources and blogs. A 24-page personalized paper drawn from those sources appears on the subscriber's doorstep the next morning.

"The main idea was to combine all the varying sources of news and information, because it is normal for young people who have grown up with the internet to have not one source of information but many," Mr. Oberhof said.

But why print? "We asked this target group which is the most comfortable and which is the best distribution channel; is it an e-paper, is it only on mobile, is it printed or online? The feedback was that, for now, paper is still the best distribution channel," he said.

Mr Oberhof's presentation will focus on the practical issues, from developing software for compiling sources and setting the layout, to arranging digital printing deals, negotiating licensing contracts with news sources, attracting advertisers and working out delivery schedules.

He will speak in a session dedicated to content monetization, organised by Cases i Associats, one of the main global consultancies for redesigning newspapers and reorganising newsrooms. Other speakers in the session include: Matt Kelly, Associate Editor of the Daily Mirror and mirror.co.uk, which has launched successful stand-alone websites dedicated to football and gossip; Roman Gallo, Director for Media Strategies for PPF in the Czech Republic, which is developing hyperlocal newspapers; and Iñaki Palacios and Francisco Amaral of Cases I Associats.

Full details of the 62nd World Newspaper Congress, 16th World Editors Forum and Info Services Expo 2009, the global meetings of the world¹s press organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), can be found at http://www.wanindia2009.com

There is still time to register! Special measures have been taken by Indian authorities to facilitate the processing of visas for Congress and Forum participants and Hyderabad is linked by direct flights to major cities in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Added value: ³The Future of Cost Cutting and Business Efficiencies,² an outsourcing study tour, will be conducted following at Congress and Forum. For full details of the 4 to 7 December tour, which will take participants to Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore, can be found at http://www.wan-press.org/indiatour2009.

The World Editors Forum is the organisation within WAN-IFRA that represents editors-in-chief and other senior news executives. WAN-IFRA, based in Paris, France, and Darmstadt, Germany, with subsidiaries in Singapore, India, Spain, France and Sweden, is the global organisation of the world¹s newspapers and news publishers. It represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries. The organisation was created by the merger of the World Association of Newspapers and IFRA, the research and service organisation for the news publishing industry.

ENDS

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