Known as one of the leading national newspapers in the UK, the Guardian is set for a major transition, albeit a necessary one, the company believes.
“By becoming a digital-first organisation we’re taking the next natural step, one which we believe all newspapers will eventually have to take,” said Alan Rusbridger, editor-in-chief of London-based GNM, in a press release. He also informed employees that GNM would “move beyond the newspaper, shifting focus, effort and investment towards digital, because that is our future.”
Print will remain key to GNM operations, but “the strategy would involve changes to its newspapers over time and investment in digital initiatives such as a new US operation based in New York and new mobile offerings,” the release added.
Andrew Miller, chief executive of parent company Guardian Media Group, said, “The opportunities presented by the growth of digital media are immense. The Guardian’s journalism has never been more widely read. However, the same forces driving opportunity in digital are creating challenges for newspaper publishers across the developed world, including GNM.”
In May 2011, its site guardian.co.uk garnered more than 50 million monthly unique browsers and 2.8 million daily unique browsers globally. The national newspaper grew its paper readership by 3 percent against declines in the UK print press market of between 8 and 15 percent.
Other publications proclaiming their operations to be digital-first include The Journal Register Co. in the US and Postmedia in Canada.
For more information on Web, technology and business trends affecting media, visit our sister site Future of Media.
