Newsweek Ushers in the Era of Pure Publishing

What's at the intersection of the future and past of publishing? Content.

It was billed as #thelastprintissue. That was Newsweek’s cover in late December. The announcement came across as a mix of optimism and finality. Look at the last print issue of Newsweek and it seems like a New Orleans funeral. We were happy, we were sad, we played great music, and we now see something else on the horizon.

I found Newsweek’s “passing” fascinating. It might surprise you to hear this from a digital publishing evangelist, but I do believe that print and digital will live side-by-side. It’s never the death of one and the new life of another. Just as we called Internet media new media and now we call it all media, I believe at some point very soon publishing will be called publishing. It will no longer be divided into digital publishing and print publishing. It’s publishing. Content. I find it much more interesting. It’s the intersection of future and past.

What I observed with the Newsweek migration was a sense that this is the beginning rather than the end. I’m not sure that the scale involved for magazines like Newsweek is long for the future. But I look at all the large-scale magazines and I see the success that they are having and I have to believe that they have great audiences and great content. It meets at content.

What tips the balance? The balance will be tipped by brands. Brands will be the ones to decide that their lasting image in the print magazine is worth their focus and money. Brands will also decide that the flexibility and agility of digital publishing is worth their focus.

The other tipping point is content itself. The digital publishing platform very simply allows for niche interests at low overhead. We’re seeing more interesting content published and more specific niche-oriented interest addressed than ever before. I would argue that this is the golden age of publishing. Newsweek bye-bye. Daily Beast, hello. But understand that it is publishing and content. Discovery of that content that will drive this business. The content business. The publishing business.

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Whitepapers

US Mobile Streaming Behavior
Whitepaper | Mobile

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

5y

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

Streaming has become a staple of US media-viewing habits. Streaming video, however, still comes with a variety of pesky frustrations that viewers are ...

View resource
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups
Whitepaper | Analyzing Customer Data

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups

5y

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics f...

Data is the lifeblood of so many companies today. You need more of it, all of which at higher quality, and all the meanwhile being compliant with data...

View resource
Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its people
Whitepaper | Digital Marketing

Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its peopl...

2y

Learning to win the talent war: how digital market...

This report documents the findings of a Fireside chat held by ClickZ in the first quarter of 2022. It provides expert insight on how companies can ret...

View resource
Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy
Report | Digital Transformation

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy

1m

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Exp...

Customers decide fast, influenced by only 2.5 touchpoints – globally! Make sure your brand shines in those critical moments. Read More...

View resource