Must every print media go online to succeed?

We’ve seen it happen time and again – a print publication announcing that they will be ‘going digital’. There have been worrying signs with more of these happening lately. TODAY, Hai, Esquire Philippines, JUICE Singapore, Campaign-Asia – just to name a few in the Southeast Asia region alone. And these are ones which are lucky enough to have the ability to jump to the online space. Some others such as Men’s Health Malaysia and Women’s Health Malaysia, have had to shut permanently.

I started doing public relations work during the time when the most ‘digital’ items I had on my person were my G-Shock and my non-smart Nokia phone. ‘Digital strategy’ meant nothing to the communications field back then, and in Singapore, every PR person was only interested to get their stories in the front page of The Straits Times and The Business Times. These days, it is almost impossible to not include digital ideas as part of a media relations strategy. Yes, print and broadcast remain highly important, but with readers’ appetite for online content, it is inevitable that these media have to make the move to follow their audience. Digital is the reality that has to be embraced by a lot of media, even if they’d rather not do it.

Print media is more than just content or news. It is an art. I love this article I read last year on CNN Philippines. In it, Paolo Reyes of Rogue Magazine said that magazines give a “tangible kind of experience” and “an artistic experience” that can’t be translated online. In the same article, the Editors who were interviewed were all for print and said that print will not cease to exist. They also acknowledged the competition each masthead had with its rivals, be it in print or on the web.

Is it a game of survival?

?There are loads that an online media can offer that a print media cannot – videos, interactivity, timeliness. But how can a media company survive and make money in the online space, as they’ve done so well previously when print was king? In early August, Mediacorp and Singapore Press Holdings (the 2 largest media companies in Singapore) entered into a joint venture to launch a digital advertising marketplace called Singapore Media Exchange (SMX). SMX aims to target audience more effectively. Last year, Mongoose Publishing made Time Out Singapore a free print publication and had all its editorial team members write for both the print magazine and its website. If one were to read the print version, one would be able to see how a lot of the content is a call to action, to visit its website.

Writing for the web is also not as straightforward as most print writers have come to realise. News must be more concise and at the same time engaging. It is also a challenge to keep a reader’s experience unspoilt by unsolicited advertisements, pop-ups, auto-playing videos, etc. Without those though, how would a media be able to attract advertisers? Sponsored content is an area where a lot media is taking up, to straddle between producing content and getting some money out of it. I’ve spoken to many journalists who feel that that they are forced into this, though. They feel that their editorial integrity is compromised when they have to write a piece for a company or a brand, because they’ve paid some money to the media they work for.

Whether going online is the way to be successful, I’m not sure. However, I do know that this is the step taken to ensure survival in an ever-changing industry. With the glut of innovation available out there, I am excited by the prospect of news and content in every sector being able to revolutionise with it. At the same time, I expect that the industry of communications to alter itself to keep up with times and suit the needs and wants of the masses. What I also hope to see is that the media who are indeed ‘going online’, putting more thought into it. Jumping on the bandwagon would be tempting, but without a clear vision and strategy as to how to present in an extremely competitive and demanding online space, it could all fall flat.

Despite saying all that, I’d still be walking to the newsstand tomorrow to pick up my essential readings. In print.