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Austrians

are

print people

Austrians equate print with quality and diversity of opinion – and these are

among the reasons why newspapers remain highly respected throughout the

country.

Thomas Kralinger

, President of the Austrian Newspaper Association,

shares his views on trust, competition and responsibility.

rinted newspapers remain very

popular in Austria, because lo-

cals remain loyal to the tactile

experience of holding their daily news-

papers in their hands – and this natu-

rally also goes for

Thomas Kralinger

,

President of the Austrian Newspaper

Association

(Verband Österreichischer

Zeitungen, VÖZ)

.

“I like to read in ‘print mode’ – and

not just for professional reasons either.

I like the feel of the material. And, let’s

be honest, the layout and presentation

of world affairs is clearer and more at-

tractive in printed newspapers than in

any other form!”

Media in flux

Austria remains a country of news­

paper readers, even if circulations have

fallen off in the last ten years. “But

print remains the media that inspires

the most confidence on the market,” af-

firms Kralinger. As one of the manag-

ing directors of the Austrian company

Mediaprint AG, he is responsible for ti-

tles including the long-standing domes-

tic newspaper

Der Kurier.

It is an inescapable fact, however,

that ongoing media changes are funda-

mentally altering the underlying busi-

ness principles of the mass media in-

dustry. “Media managers must remain

active participants in the competition

for the public’s attention. This means

identifying the benefits of all the avail-

able channels,” states Kralinger, who

sees the cross-fertilization of print and

online media as inevitable.

Content and integrity

The competition never sleeps and the

market is global, which makes it cru-

cial to maintain editorial integrity,

Text:

Carola Malzner

Photo:

VÖZ

“We must remain active participants in

the competition for the public’s attention,”

says Thomas Kralinger, President of the

Austrian Newspaper Association (VÖZ).

P

The millennials

– a

lost

generation?

Text:

Mari Hirvi, Silja Kudel

Photo:

Matti Immonen

W

hen was the last time you

saw a 20–35 year-old hold-

ing a newspaper instead

of a mobile device while commut-

ing? It hasn’t escaped anyone’s atten-

tion that Generation Y spends less and

less time engaging with printed news-

papers. However, all is not lost: read on

for some lesser-known facts about this

misunderstood demographic cohort.

1: They want to know

what’s going on.

The millennials are often regarded as

ignorant, but this is far from the case.

According to a study by the American

Press Institute, 85% of them consider

it at least somewhat important to keep

up with the news, while 69% read the

news daily – with almost half the con-

tent being in print. Print newspapers

are a trusted medium: according to a

Finnish study, eight in ten millennials

find newspapers reliable.

2: They’re interested in

commentary.

Beyond sharing news content on social

media themselves, millennials want

to read what their friends have to say

about current affairs. While it is im-

possible for print to offer the kind of

immediate response that is inherent to

online media, newspapers – with ex-

perienced journalists as contributors –

have the ability to offer deeper insight

or even a completely different narrative

to a story being shared in social media.

3: They appreciate tangibility.

When targeting millennials, the phys-

ical dimension of newspapers should

not be seen as a weakness, but rather as

an advantage. In their eyes, tangible ob-

jects like books and vinyl records have

nostalgia value. Could newspapers ex-

ploit this trend as well and establish an

emotional connection with the millen-

nial audience? Research suggests that

newspapers have potential to do this. In

fact, a Finnish study has revealed that

millennials feel as emotionally bonded

to print newspapers as they do to big

digital players Facebook and Goog-

le. And while clicking through news

articles online might be fast and easy,

the deep reading experience offered by

print media still remains unequalled.

states Kralinger: “We are operating in a

competitive environment with the most

powerful brands in the world vying to

set the tone. That makes it even more

important for newspaper and magazine

content to be protected against com-

mercial exploitation by global corpo-

rations.”

Free newspapers with high circu-

lations are muscling in on the con-

test for real content and fair compe-

tition. “They do particularly well in

areas of high population density. But

purchased print media remains respon-

sible for maintaining high levels of

quality and diversity in the Austrian

media landscape,” emphasizes Kralin-

ger. “Our high subscription rates show

that the public appreciates quality and

diversity of opinion. The outlook for

us is very positive.”

UPM

NEWS

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