Gunman mows down five in Capital Gazette newsroom in the US. WARC data shows steep decline in news brands’ revenue. Connected world great to TV viewers. UK survey shows rampant sexually harassment in media, advertising businesses.
Five killed in US newsroom shooting
Five people have been gunned down in a mass shooting at a Maryland, US, newspaper. Wendi Winters, who worked in special publications; Rebecca Smith, a sales assistant; Rob Hiaasen, an assistant editor; editorial page editor Gerald Fischman; and John McNamara, a staff writer, died in the attack on the Capital Gazette in Annapolis. Three more staffers were wounded.
While police have not name the suspect, media has identified him as Jarrod Warren Ramos, a man who had sued the newspaper for defamation and invasion of privacy, and lost. The newspaper, which was on deadline, refused to be bowed. “We are putting out a damn paper tomorrow,” the journalists said.
For the full story, read the CNN report here.
Bad news for news brands
The new Global Ad Trends report for WARC has noted that news brands’ combined revenue has dipped globally to the tune of $27.8 billion over a five year period. And that although income from print circulaiton and digital subscriptions has risen, it is “not been nearly enough to offset a $40.1bn decline in print ad receipts over the period”.
All of which means news brands have to find other means of income, such as creating branded content teams, for example. “The data underline the scale of the challenge facing publishers – despite robust consumer interest in their products,” said James McDonald, WARC’s Data Editor. “The response appears to be to club together to build scale, to emphasise the importance of context and brand safety, and to diversify revenue streams, particularly into native and branded content.”
For more, visit WARC.
Connected world great for consumers
The connected world is a boon for television viewers, Nielsen reports. Consumer devices and services introduced within the last decade have quickly gained wide acceptance by consumers: smartphones (89%), personal computers (79%), tablets (63%) and subscription video on-demand (SVOD) 62%.
What’s more is others, such as internet-connected devices (36%) and smart TVs (35%) “are growing at a significantly fast clip”. The researchers also found that the demographic landscape is changing, with Gen Z and Millennials now half the US population. So how is that playing out?
For more, read the report here.
Young women and men sexually harassed in UK media and advertising
A UK survey on sexual harassment in media companies has yielded horrific findings: One in five women between 18 and 24 years old have been sexually harassed within the first few years of working in the media and advertising industries.
At the same time, five percent of men in the same age group have experienced the same. The survey of 3 500 respondents working in media and advertising, , commissioned by Women in Advertising and Communications London, the Advertising Association, and media and advertising industry charity NABs, highlighted the “woefully prolific” state of affairs.
For the full story in Digiday, read on.
