When Will Online Newspapers Leave Home?

Another interesting entry from New Media Days.

This time the session focused particulary on the Danish newspaper industry and the overall internet strategies. Does the well-known omnibus stand a chance or will all news be brought by niche media?

According to Per Mikael Jensen CEO of MetroXpress International, niche is the way to go. However, Metro - who publishes the most read newspaper in Denmark - have not taken any serious action in that direction yet, and consider themselves as slow-mowers. Yet, they are considering carefully what niches to go for. When it comes to targeting the audience there are huge upsides awaiting, as the target groups are more narrowed which allows charging more for an ad on a niche site.

Besides from Per Mikael, Lisbeth Knudsen (Berlingske Media) and Morten Wagner (Freeway) joined the panel. One of New Media Days most consistent topics, user generated content was discussed as well by the panel. Overall they agreed that user generated content is great, as long as the users are taken seriously. Per Mikael even thought that the quality of user feedback or input sometimes exceed the journalists skills.

Online newspapers are growing up and starting to feed themselves. But the pressure on ad prices and the lack of alternative business models are making the progress slow. The real independent online newspaper is yet to come in Danish media.

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