From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Print’s not dead, but coronavirus has it on life support
Australia’s biggest newspaper publisher News Corp. says it will suspend printing of 60 local papers due to weak advertising revenue.
Local newspapers in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia will be digital-only from next week. The newspapers depend heavily on advertising related to real estate auctions, house inspections, community events and restaurants — all of which have been closed.
News Corp. Australia’s executive chairman, Michael Miller, said the top priority is to preserve jobs and position its business to counter the coronavirus crisis.
The COVID-19 outbreak has meanwhile brought a surge in new subscriptions to News Corp.’s online publications. The journalists’ union — Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance — has urged the government to help out several rural newspapers in New South Wales and Victoria that have already stopped printing due to lack of advertising.
In the US, the Gannett Company also recently announced it would force employees at its news outlets making over $39,000 annually to take a week unpaid vacation per month during the crisis.
— with AP
The Times of Israel Community.