How has the newspaper industry maximised profits in response to technological change? Refer to The Mirror+ The Times in your answer (12 marks)
Technological change has affected the newspaper industry due to the impact of the internet. Whilst for audiences it has been a positive change, allowing more availability, choice and feedback, the industry has struggled to deal with the minimising profit and control and constantly drifting audiences.
Newspapers have attempted to adapt by moving their content to the internet through websites, however they manage their finances differently. The Times has a paywall, meaning the audience has to subscribe in order to be able to consume more content. In this way the newspaper has tried to adapt to the changing landscape by being aware of the different ways news are consumed nowadays, through phones, tablets and computers and not just by print anymore. This is why the cheapest subscription at £1 per week includes the newspaper app whereas if you include the physical paper copies it rises to £10. They are able to price their content due to their audience, middle class people. The Mirror chooses to maximise profits solely through advertising, which fits due to less serious, sensationalist tone. Furthermore, there are comments sections on The Mirror's news articles which allow the audience to respond to the product, as per Shirky's end of audience theory, due to people being able to voice their opinions back to the media through the internet. Even though The Times doesn't do it in the same way, this theory applies due to the opportunities to share the articles on social media. Therefore, the websites are effective and well-designed for the newspapers different audiences in order to maximise their financial gain.
The audiences are constructed and targeted in order to maximise profits. The specific content of the newspapers appeal to different people. The Mirror constantly includes images throughout the coverage of their news, appealing visually with fairly large images. On the other hand, The Times only uses them sparingly, as the focus as a broadsheet is on high-quality news. The story values for a spreadsheet like The Times therefore are more informed and unambiguous than the reliance on shock value through headlines by The Mirror. The 'elite persons' in a tabloid aren't limited to politicians, but also celebrities as there's a chance for gossip and appeal to the wider audience. The lifestyle and entertainment-based news stories in The Mirror contrast with the political and business focus of The Times. Audiences are constructed as outlined by Hall's representation theory; the often monosyllabic headlines of the labour working class- targetted newspaper juxtapose the more elaborated ones by the middle class- focused newspaper, suggesting media language and codes are being used to contribute to classism, reinforcing the idea that the middle class is more educated and the working class won't read as many politics articles. Nevertheless, profit is ensured as the structuring and choice of news stories persuades the audience to consume.
The newspaper industry has mainly maximised profits through vertical and horizontal integration. Through wider ownership, conglomerates like News UK, are able to have a higher market share, and so finance their newspaper. In this way, newspapers like the Times are able to be sustain themselves without the need of too many advertisements, unlike The Mirror. Rupert Murdoch, owner of The Times and News UK, has effectively maximised profits by horizontal integration as he owns a fair share of the newspaper industry.
Newspapers have attempted to adapt by moving their content to the internet through websites, however they manage their finances differently. The Times has a paywall, meaning the audience has to subscribe in order to be able to consume more content. In this way the newspaper has tried to adapt to the changing landscape by being aware of the different ways news are consumed nowadays, through phones, tablets and computers and not just by print anymore. This is why the cheapest subscription at £1 per week includes the newspaper app whereas if you include the physical paper copies it rises to £10. They are able to price their content due to their audience, middle class people. The Mirror chooses to maximise profits solely through advertising, which fits due to less serious, sensationalist tone. Furthermore, there are comments sections on The Mirror's news articles which allow the audience to respond to the product, as per Shirky's end of audience theory, due to people being able to voice their opinions back to the media through the internet. Even though The Times doesn't do it in the same way, this theory applies due to the opportunities to share the articles on social media. Therefore, the websites are effective and well-designed for the newspapers different audiences in order to maximise their financial gain.
The audiences are constructed and targeted in order to maximise profits. The specific content of the newspapers appeal to different people. The Mirror constantly includes images throughout the coverage of their news, appealing visually with fairly large images. On the other hand, The Times only uses them sparingly, as the focus as a broadsheet is on high-quality news. The story values for a spreadsheet like The Times therefore are more informed and unambiguous than the reliance on shock value through headlines by The Mirror. The 'elite persons' in a tabloid aren't limited to politicians, but also celebrities as there's a chance for gossip and appeal to the wider audience. The lifestyle and entertainment-based news stories in The Mirror contrast with the political and business focus of The Times. Audiences are constructed as outlined by Hall's representation theory; the often monosyllabic headlines of the labour working class- targetted newspaper juxtapose the more elaborated ones by the middle class- focused newspaper, suggesting media language and codes are being used to contribute to classism, reinforcing the idea that the middle class is more educated and the working class won't read as many politics articles. Nevertheless, profit is ensured as the structuring and choice of news stories persuades the audience to consume.
The newspaper industry has mainly maximised profits through vertical and horizontal integration. Through wider ownership, conglomerates like News UK, are able to have a higher market share, and so finance their newspaper. In this way, newspapers like the Times are able to be sustain themselves without the need of too many advertisements, unlike The Mirror. Rupert Murdoch, owner of The Times and News UK, has effectively maximised profits by horizontal integration as he owns a fair share of the newspaper industry.
