Vox Solicits Reader Contributions to Keep Its Content Free Amid Ad Declines

The near-simultaneous rush among publishers with subscription businesses to loosen their paywalls and provide free access to reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic has reignited long-standing debates about whether the news should fundamentally be free, even as ad-supported journalism (with some exceptions) becomes an increasingly difficult proposition. This week, rather than erecting a paywall, Vox says it's looking to make up for declines in its advertising business by soliciting contributions from those readers who can afford it, in order to preserve free access to its journalism for those who can't. "Our dedicated team of journalists has boundless ambitions—and feels a great sense of responsibility—to bring you more of our distinctive coverage, in new and different ways, and to continue doing so for free," wrote editor-in-chief Lauren Williams and executive editor Allison Rockey in a note to readers Wednesday afternoon. "But even with record audience growth, the media business is not immune to the effects of economic downturns. In fact, right now, when audiences need quality, accessible journalism the most, ad revenue is on the decline as companies move to save money and shrink their marketing budgets." While not a tax-deductible charitable donation, Vox says recurring or one-off contributions, ranging from $7 to $250, will help support its science explainers, its coverage of the challenges being faced by the U.S. health care system and its YouTube and Facebook videos... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-04-10 16:17:19 UTC ]
News tagged with: #caption id= #subscription model #apple news+ #york magazine #media industry

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News Corp. Misses Estimates as Ad Sales Decline

News Corp., the Wall Street Journal and New York Post publisher controlled by billionaire Rupert Murdoch, reported fiscal fourth-quarter profit that missed analysts' estimates as a decline in ad sales outweighed an increase in digital revenue in its real estate business.Earnings, excluding some... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Prevention Magazine Will Become Ad-Free

Maria Rodale, the chairwoman and chief executive of the magazine’s publishing company, said that going ad-free would reduce Prevention’s operating expenses by more than 50 percent. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2016-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Ad Influence Remains Strong Among Regional Magazine Readers

Readership insights and annual award winners from the CRMA's annual conference in Denver. The post Print Ad Influence Remains Strong Among Regional Magazine Readers appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2016-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Content Next reports recommendations for reaching the ad-blocking audience

As the population of people using ad blocking software has grown, publishers are increasingly recognizing that they have to find a way to address those people a different way. Digital Content Next, a trade group for premium publishers, has shared recommendations, which came out of meetings with... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Study: More than half of all ad blocker users would disable them to read content

The IAB and YouGov has found that 22 percent of U.K. adults have installed ad blockers, up from 18 percent in October. Although a silver lining for publishers is that 54 percent of users would turn off blockers in order to read content. Martin Ashplant, digital director at the Metro, points out... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is Blocking Readers Who Use Ad Blockers The Best Strategy?

There’s a growing trend in online publishing: Namely, media sites blocking users who choose to use ad-blocking software. In the past few days alone, a British publisher and the Forbes business news site have either implemented or are lookin ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Axel Springer Tells Bild Readers to Turn Off Ad Blockers or Pay

Axel Springer has told the readers of Germany's most popular online news site to turn off their ad blockers or pay a fee as Europe's biggest newspaper publisher steps up efforts to protect advertising income.Readers of Bild.de, the Web version of Europe's top-selling newspaper, have to disable... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mobile Readers Abound; the Ads, Not So Much

Traditional and online publishers are struggling to cash in on their surging mobile traffic, raising questions about their future growth as consumers increasingly turn to smartphones and tablets for media. Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amid Polish Bookstore Decline, Help for Small Bookstores

Poland is dominated by two major bookselling chains, but the city of Krakow is offering support to small, indie booksellers to preserve cultural heritage. The post Amid Polish Bookstore Decline, Help for Small Bookstores appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ello, the ad-free social network alternative to Facebook, launches mobile app

Ello's mobile app will hit the Apple App store Thursday, about eight months after the ad-free social network launched as an invite-only alternative to Facebook. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reuters Makes Some Content Free, Citing ‘Unprecedented’ Shift

Reuters, citing "the unprecedented shift to digital publishing and online news consumption," is making some of its original news content—text, pictures, video and multimedia packages—available for free to publishers, the c ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Guild warns authors over contributing online articles for free

Writers are contributing to the fall in their incomes by penning free pieces for large companies in the hope that it will raise their profile and lead to book sales, Roxana Robinson, president of The Authors Guild, has told The Bookseller. She also said that Amazon was devaluing books and writing. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Medium Poaches Vox Sales Exec to Build Nascent Ad Business

Medium -- the publishing platform founded by the guys who started Twitter -- is getting more aggressive in its bid to attract brand advertising dollars. The site just raided digital publisher Vox Media, hiring Joe Purzycki, the company's head of ad sales, to lead brand partnerships at... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why Vox Media makes content just for social media

Facebook isn't sharing native-video revenue with publishers yet. But when it does, Vox Media plans to be ready, with content that’s designed to live only on social platforms. The post Why Vox Media makes content just for social media appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2015-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Program Lets Readers Pay a Buck a Month to Block Ads

Web publishers for 15 years have struggled with getting readers to pay for content they are accustomed to acquiring for free. Pay walls have been built and dismantled, print-and-digital packages have launched and often failed, but Google's going to see if viewers are happy to throw coins into... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2014-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Content-Driven Ad Network Partners With Time Inc. and Meredith

With the content marketing and native advertising scene getting increasingly crowded with tech players such as Outbrain, Sharethrough and Nativo, just to name a few, OneSpot thinks it's found an edge on those competitors. The Austin, Texas-based marketing vendor, which has big clients such... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2014-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wiley offers free content from Nobel winning scientists

John Wiley is making a selection of content from the nine 2014 Nobel laureates they have published free to access until the end of the year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers reap the rewards of content ad network bidding wars

Outbrain and Taboola are doing battle over the real estate at the bottom of article pages, and premium publishers are cashing in. The post Publishers reap the rewards of content ad network bidding wars appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2014-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Top Publishers Label Content Recommendation Ads

As the debate rages over the ethics of native advertising on both sides of the Atlantic, regulators in the U.K. have added more fuel to the fire. A ruling by the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority against Outbrain is forcing publisher ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Ad Growth About to Offset Print Decline

News websites and online publishers saw advertising soar 18 per cent in Britain last year, fuelling hopes that digital growth has reached a long-awaited tipping point where it will offset print decline. Figures from the Association of Online Publi ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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