What I've been reading: Swiss publisher's five Rs of digital transformation, The Mill newsletter model drilled into + extra journalism innovation course scholarships announced
I’m on a period of leave at the moment, one of the benefits of this is having some time to read around and there’s interesting links below that I’ve stumbled upon. If you’re in the digital media, digital journalism, social media, digital comms space then I hope these are a good reading list. I’ll try and post these as frequently as I get chance, and if you find them useful let me know. And if you spot something I should include, or you’ve written something that you think should be shared then drop it over. I’m on edward_walker86 AT hotmail.co.uk
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This week's is a bit briefer as I've been enjoying a few days of some superb fell walking in the Yorkshire Dales and Forest of Bowland with family and friends - marking three years since my Dad passed away from pancreatic cancer. More about him here.
The 5 Rs of digital transformation: how Ringier is shaping the long-term success of its media titles - Madeleine White, The Audiencers - this is a really in-depth piece exploring how the Ringier group in Switzerland has embarked on their digital transformation. Their global media unit, made up of 10 execs but who all still hold operational responsibilities caught my eye - rather than having a separate strategic unit they have a blend of operational and strategic capacity within that group who help drive the changes needed to accelerate their digital change. Smart.
Is The Mill a model for the future of local journalism? - Andy Griffiths, Champion Newsletters - there's a lot been written about the Mill (Manchester and surrounding northern cities newsletter-only model) and this is a good, in-depth, take from Andy drilling in detail into the newsletter itself and also the business model behind it. I think you'll need to sign up to Andy's site - Champion Newsletters - to read it as it (not surprisingly) dropped into my inbox as a newsletter. Andy asks some good questions around where the cap is for the reach, revenues and engagement of what may remain a broadly niche product for a very ABC1 readership. I thought his parallel to how broader community-based newsletters in the US are performing very strongly could represent the diversification strategy needed for future growth for all those involved in newsletter-type publishing.
Two additional scholarship places added for the Journalism Innovation and Leadership programme - Media Innovation Studio, University of Central Lancashire - thanks to the very kind generosity of Lara Ayoub and Jeremy Clifford there's an additional two spaces on the 2024 course. I undertook the 2022 programme and I've been a mentor to two of this year's cohort. It's a fantastic chance to get the grey matter working and tackle the challenges facing journalism. Fair play to Lara and Jeremy for helping others gain access through the scholarship award.
As I said, a briefer round-up this week as I was focusing on getting away from the keyboard and getting the fresh air - with views like the below on my doorstep you can't blame me! And there's your final what I've been reading, get yourselves out for some exploration before the weather turns and recharge yourself before the final mad dash to the end of the year (I always used to end up with a bunch of random annual leave at this time of year, so get it used!).
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