The latest trends and tactics in digital subscriptions are helping many publishers grow their subscriptions through increased acquisitions and lower churn rates. Analytics to identify subscription propensity, churn risk and price elasticity can help optimize these tactics. Testing of price points, offer design and targeting can further improve performance. This is a summary of the latest trends and tactics in digital subscriptions Mather Economics is observing in the market. more

Modulist team members have been providing solutions to its Forum Communications newspapers throughout North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin for more than 10 years. Through this team’s expertise and recent innovations in software development, Modulist team leaders were able to create a platform that offers a multi-prong approach to streamline the community content process. more

Adpay, owned by Ancestry.com, has been making it easier for newspapers, funeral homes and families to publish obituaries anywhere in the country through its Memoriams platform. Funeral directors have access to the nation’s only placement network of more than 3,300 publications. This full suite is free for newspapers and funeral homes. more

 After acquiring three new publications in 2018, Kansas Publishing Ventures experienced growing pains with processing public notices in a standardized way. Before KPV switched to Column, Technical Director Tommy Hornbeck described their public notice operation as "a pretty clunky, hands-on process ... with a lot of different hands."  That has all changed now! more

In her new role at USA TODAY, Kristen Go will supervise teams covering consumer news and technology, life and entertainment, travel, education and enterprise reporting focused on equity issues such as race, identity and social justice. more

Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications recently welcomed Penelope “Penny” Muse Abernathy as a visiting professor. Abernathy recently retired from the University of North Carolina Hussman School of Journalism and Media, where she served as the Knight Chair in Journalism and Digital Media Economics. more

“We believe newspapers are important to communities and the Plain Dealer & Sun has been an integral part of the North Vernon community,” said Mike Weafer, group publisher for Paxton Media Group. “We are excited and honored to have the opportunity continue publishing the Plain Dealer & Sun.” more

While newspaper deal activity slowed in 2020, quelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, 81 daily or thrice-weekly newspapers still changed hands in 19 separate transactions. Deal volume totaled $460 million. more

The Alliance for Audited Media recently launched its Digital Publisher Audit, a new assurance solution that complements other industry anti-fraud initiatives to bring greater transparency to digital media, supported by the Association of National Advertisers. This audit is complimentary for AAM publisher clients through 2021. more

Presteligence is offering a pilot program for automated page building — the newest module of the hosted My News 360 editorial workflow system called Dynamic Production. more

Two newspapers in Pennsylvania have signed recent contracts with New ProImage America. The Bradford Era is changing its production workflow to locally configured NewsWayX. The Courier-Express is also changing its workflow to NewsWayX and will have a similar workflow to The Bradford Era. more

In the first of what will be an annual overview of its efforts to build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive company, Hearst published a set of data this week showing where its U.S. employee representation currently stands ... plus five priorities for 2021. more

Reid Newspapers has acquired three Oklahoma newspapers — the Miami News-Record, the Grand Lake News (Grove) and The Delaware County Journal — from Gannett Co., Inc. more

Neves Media Publishing  has acquired four weekly newspapers — The Apalachicola Times, Port St. Joe Star, the Washington County News and the Holmes County Times-Advertiser — from Gannett Media Corp. more

A longtime journalist with Gannett, who most recently worked in public relations, is taking over the helm of The Ledger newsroom in Lakeland, Florida, Gannett officials announced Wednesday. more

The Salisbury (North Carolina) Post reports that Rep. Harry Warren, a Republican serving state House District 76, has introduced a bill that would allow a slew of counties to publish public notices on their websites rather than in newspapers. more

During the 2021-2022 academic year, high school students in Southeastern Ohio will have an opportunity to have their work published in local newspapers published by Adams Publishing Group of Ohio.  Their work will be published in The Athens Messenger, Logan Daily News, Perry County Tribune and potentially other publications. more

"We’d rather invest in vital local journalism than an endless and expensive game of comment whack-a-mole." — The Philadelphia Inquirer more

An economic landscape that makes it difficult for advertisers to know how their messages will be perceived by the American public is triggering "more intense, complex questions for ad creators than in years past, such as whether or not audiences struggling financially would appreciate brands spending $5.5 million dollars on a few seconds of T.V. airtime," Lineup Systems notes in a new industry analysis article: "Will Super Bowl Advertising Ever be the Same?" more

The Washington Post's Instagram audience tends to be “a younger and more diverse audience" than its current subscribers — something the paper says will be an asset in growing its subscriber base. more