When we spoke to Christian Science Monitor Editor John Yemma last month, we got the impression that print was central to the Monitor‘s mission for a long time to come. Looking back at that interview, we realize that Yemma never said anything about daily frequency.

So we suppose it’s no surprise that the Monitor used its 100th birthday year to announce that it’s shifting most of its resources online and scaling back to a weekly format. Given the trends in the business right now, the move is probably prescient. Below is today’s press release. We’ll have more from a Monitor spokesman within the next few days.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR ANNOUNCES SHIFT FROM PRINT DAILY TO ONLINE DAILY AND LAUNCHES WEEKLY PRINT PUBLICATION

– International Newspaper Embraces the Future of Journalism with a New Web-first Format –

Boston, MA, October 28, 2008 – The Christian Science Monitor plans major changes that are expected to make it the first newspaper with a national audience to shift from a daily print format to a daily online publication that operates 24/7.  The Monitor today announces that in April 2009 it will produce an enhanced, constantly updated version of its Web site, CSMonitor.com, and launch a weekly print edition and a daily electronic subscription product.  In addition, the Monitor will discontinue its daily print publication.

Consistent with the Monitor’s commitment to thoughtful, global news and perspective, its new Web edition will feature original reporting seven days a week, and its new weekly print publication will look behind the headlines and help readers understand global issues.

As recent years have shown, the future of journalism is the Internet.  By transforming itself into a daily online publication, the Monitor is the first major international newspaper to fully embrace that future, allowing its reporters to publish news as it happens.

In the coming months, the Monitor will make significant upgrades to its Web site, CSMonitor.com, including:

• Original reporting on global news and events seven days a week
• Continuously updated stories
• Global conversations between readers and Monitor staff
• Links to valuable content elsewhere on the Web

By launching its new Web-first format, the Monitor is remaining consistent with its original vision to be a daily publication as laid out by Monitor founder Mary Baker Eddy.  With the full commitment to 24/7 coverage via the Internet, the Monitor is now a true daily news outlet.

Although the Monitor’s Web site will be the home for its daily news coverage, the new weekly edition of The Christian Science Monitor will ensure the continuation of the Monitor’s thoughtful, unbiased, in-depth coverage in a print format.  The new publication will feature:

• The Monitor’s well-regarded analysis of both US and global news
• Weekly snapshots of life around the globe and news around the Web
• Profiles of individuals who are tackling tough problems and trying to make a difference
• Special emphasis on the environment, innovation, money & values

As part of its multiplatform format, the Monitor will also launch a new daily e-news edition which will be delivered via e-mail. The two to three page subscription product will include:

· An original column from the editors

· A selection of the most important Monitor stories of the day

· Links to other Monitor stories

“Like much of the news industry, the Monitor has embraced online reporting and is now one of the first publications to treat its Web site as its primary publishing format,” said John Yemma, editor of the Monitor.

“The Christian Science Monitor recognizes that daily print has become too costly and energy-intensive.  Online journalism is more timely and is rapidly expanding its reach, especially among younger readers,” said Yemma.  “There’s still a role for print, but one that is geared to weekends, when people still can find time to catch up, look behind the headlines, and experience the pleasures of print.  Our shift to a Web-first, multiplatform strategy is likely to be watched by others in the news industry as they contemplate similar moves.”

Monitor Managing Publisher Jonathan Wells added that the move to a Web-first format enables the Monitor to more effectively reach a global audience, and he emphasized the combined value of the Monitor’s Web edition and its new weekly print publication.  “We have a base of print readers that we can continue to serve by providing longer format journalism on a weekly basis,” he said.  “Ad revenues from our Web site and circulation revenue from our print and e-news editions will form the basis of our business model as the Monitor enters its second century.”

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 at 6:15 pm and is filed under Facebook, Fake News, Hyper-local. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.