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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