For a Norwegian Newspaper, Equal Focus on Print and Web

During a meeting last summer, Norwegian newspaper Fredrikstad Blad decided to move from a 90% focus on its print edition to an equal focus on print and web, in order to help the online version realize its potential:

Since that meeting, the paper has transformed its operations, demanding that reporters, advertising representatives and the rest of its 64 employees devote equal time to the print edition, which has a circulation of 21,000, and the Web. Journalists had to reapply for new, hybrid jobs. Ad reps were required to sell across both media.

The Web site was enhanced with faster, more thorough coverage of local events. A social networking area of the site was developed, and the paper solicits articles from its members — about their clubs, church groups and other Fredrikstad institutions, for example.

A year later, the results show healthy growth – the web site now has more daily visitors than the print edition has subscribers:

Since Fredrikstad Blad reallocated its resources, the Web site has shown significant growth. The number of daily visitors has risen 27 percent, to 26,000, according to Mecom. Advertising revenue in the first half of this year more than doubled from a year earlier, to €812,000.

While the numbers look good so far, the article notes that Norway is different from other newspaper markets because of stronger loyalty among print subscribers, and that Fredrikstad Blad has undergone a 20% staff reduction. Despite these challenges, the paper’s editor, Erling Omvik, sounds a positive note about the future:

“I think the last year has maybe been my most exciting year as an editor. There are no more certainties, but there are so many possibilities. It would be tragic if newspaper people were the last to realize that the old way of giving out information is shrinking.”