A storm is a brewin’

Time does indeed fly – this time last week I was braving the cold (and restaurant bills) in Reykjavik - and after a hectic week in the office I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on the publication of the latest ABC circulation figures. Once again, the conclusion from many commentators is print media as we know it is coming to an end.

We all know online news sources have flourished, not just from national organisations like the BBC but also the growing number of specialist sites (for example, Yorkshire’s own Business Desk.) But ten years after Drudge broke the Clinton-Lewinski affair the print media still is still struggling to develop a coherent response to the challenge it poses. Add to that the continued expansion of 24-hour rolling news channels and print media faces a stern test.

However, the latest ABC figures for magazines clearly illustrate there is a demand for in-depth analysis, quality features and challenging editorial. Titles like Private Eye and the Economist (as David has previously blogged) continue to hold their circulation figures steady, while The Spectator has grown for 11 consecutive six-month periods.

Yet with the New Statesman’s circulation dropping 12%, the risk to established titles is only too apparent. Publishers, like many of us working in media, are finding the pace of change a tough challenge. The question is how long they will be allowed to flounder before we see the first major media casualty.

One thing is clear – news gets older faster. There will always be a demand for journalism that goes beyond simply reporting the facts and as more magazines capitalise on this, the challenge is for newspapers to respond – or face being left out in the cold.