英國《衛報》將縮減印刷版 進軍數字領域大綱
The publisher of the Guardian and Observer newspapers is close to axing the print editions of its newspapers, despite the hopes of its editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger to keep them running for several years.
Senior figures at Guardian News & Media are seriously discussing the move to an entirely online operation, it has been claimed, leaving Mr Rusbridger increasingly isolated.
The longstanding Guardian chief wants to develop the Guardian’s digital-only US operation before pulling the plug on the print edition, in the hope that it will provide a useful blueprint for the online business in Britain.
However, trustees of the Scott Trust, GNM’s ultimate owner, fear it does not have enough cash on its books to sustain the newspapers for that long, according to More About Advertising, the website run by former Marketing Week editor Stephen Foster.
The Guardian publisher has spent the last few years battling to stem losses of £44m a year. However, it has been slow to make savings and any money that it has clawed back has been spent on expanding its US and online operations.
The investments helped to fuel a 16pc increase in digital revenues to £45.7m last year, but this was not enough to balance GNM’s operating losses.
Guardian Media Group, GNM's parent company fared even worse. Its operating losses more than doubled to £129.1m after nearly £55m of write-offs.
Meanwhile, the company has been forced to steadily shrink the Guardian newspaper, getting rid of some of its flagship supplements. GNM has also pledged to axe up to 100 of its 650 editorial staff.
Last year, GNM also looked at closing the £80m printing plant it opened seven years ago, and moving its printing presses out of London.
However, it now seems more likely to stop running the presses altogether.
A GNM spokesman denied that it intends to stop printing newspapers, saying they would “remain the foundations of our organisation for many years to come”. The newspapers generate three quarters of GNM’s revenues but do not turn a profit.儘管主編艾倫•羅斯布里奇希望可以將印刷版多運營幾年，但英國《衛報》和《觀察家報》的發行商還是將削減印刷版業務。
據稱，衛報新聞傳媒集團的主管們正認真研究完全轉向網絡運營一事，這導致羅斯布里奇希愈發孤立。
在完全結束印刷業務之前，《衛報》資深負責人想在美國發展數字版，並希望這可以爲在英國的網絡業務提供一份有益的規劃。
但根據《行銷週刊》前編輯史蒂芬-福斯特創辦的廣告資訊網站的介紹，衛報新聞傳媒集團的擁有者、斯科特信託基金的受託人擔心，並沒有足夠的資金支持這份報紙這麼久。
在過去幾年，《衛報》發行商一直設法防止每年虧損4400萬英鎊，但增收速度非常慢，而且所有彌補性收入都被用於發展美國版和網絡經營。
相關投資幫助該集團去年的數字營銷收入達到4570萬英鎊，增長率達到16%，但這還是不足以抵消營業虧損。
衛報新聞傳媒集團的母公司、衛報傳媒集團的經營狀況更差。在沖銷掉大約5500萬英鎊後，該集團的營業虧損仍然達到1億零291萬英鎊，是之前的兩倍多。
同時，該公司還被迫逐漸縮減《衛報》的發行規模，取消一些主要增刊。衛報新聞傳媒集團還決定在其650名編輯團隊中削減100個職位。
去年，衛報新聞傳媒集團還考慮關閉七年前開業的價值8000萬英鎊的印刷廠，並把印刷業務搬離倫敦。
但現在看來，該集團更有可能停掉印刷版業務。
衛報新聞傳媒集團的一位發言人否認將停止印刷版，並表示印刷版業務“在今後若干年內仍將是整個集團的基礎業務”。報紙業務創造了該集團3/4的營業收入，但卻沒有利潤。
