www.newsandtech.com www.newsandtech.com January/February 2019 The premier resource for insight, analysis and technology integration in newspaper and hybrid operations and production. A look ahead for newspapers in 2019 u NEWS & TECH STAFF REPORT As publishers look at what they can ex- Tech platforms finding their stride talked about for the past decade, but it’s re- pect in 2019, the industry can benefit from As we’ve reported in the pages of News & ally only begun to take hold within the past reflecting on some of the trends that shaped Tech over the years, publishers have been five years. According to an annual study from 2018. trailblazers for a number of technologies, WAN-IFRA and the Native Advertising Insti- As in years past, vendors, publishers, and including QR codes, AR, and even AI — al- tute, native ads accounted for 20 percent of production managers will need to arm them- though many have been slow to take root. overall ad revenue for newspapers. selves with adequate information and the Augmented reality is gaining attention “Publishers continue to hone their strate- proper tech-savvy in 2019 in order to keep from newspapers as they see other papers gies around native advertising as it increas- their papers alive and — in the best-case harnessing the tech. Publishers including ingly plays a significant role in their overall scenarios — thriving. The Ledger Dispatch in Northern California ad strategies,” Vincent Peyregne, CEO of the Let’s take a look at some of the trends News and Yankton Media (South Dakota) dove into World Association of Newspapers and News & Tech has identified for the year ahead. AR tech developed in partnership with Stra- Publishers (WAN-IFRA), said about the study. ta (see News & Tech November/December “With native advertising, advertisement be- Production outlook 2018). Strata’s Interactive News AR platform comes less disruptive and more relevant to On the production side of things, the cost of enables readers to trigger images and other the consumer experience. The appetite for raw materials will continue to be major con- features to access deeper content. native advertising grows as experiential be- cern for newspapers and commercial print- “This is the first time that we’ve crossed the comes increasingly important to every busi- ers. As the packaging industry dominates digital divide,” Ledger Dispatch Publisher ness model, especially on mobile.” North American paper consumption (mostly Jack Mitchell told News & Tech in Novem- due to the explosion of Amazon), paper costs ber 2018. Smart business decisions will not likely level out any time soon. The New York Times made a splash with its We’ll also see publishers continue to lever- Ink and plate costs also remain uncertain. AR features during its coverage of the Win- age trends such as real estate listings and Printing-plate pricing remains high due to in- ter Olympics (see News & Tech, March/April events listings as we delve into 2019. These flated aluminum prices as vendors continue 2018), proving the power of well-planned technologies are among those that help to endure lower plate demand aligned with use of the technology. Publishers will con- newspapers continue to establish themselves the reduced demand for printed newspapers. tinue to benefit from leveraging AR around as the go-to local resources in their commu- Still plate suppliers continue to invest in de- events and topics that allow deep dives into nities. The San Francisco Chronicle is capi- velopment of new printing plate technology. complementary features. talizing on both platforms. In spring 2018 Agfa trotted out its new Avatar V-ZH plate AI technology will also continue to play the Hearst paper launched a real estate app at IFRA World Publishing Expo in October a role for newspapers in 2019. For many, from Advanced Interactive Media in a bid to 2018. The plate requires no preheating. AI provides a means to continue to provide thwart the threat of platforms such as Redfin Ink prices won’t likely come down any- quality content with less staff. For others, it is and Zillow decimating its market share. time soon either as prices continue to rise on just another step towards increased automa- And two years ago, the publisher launched raw materials such as carbon black, oil and tion regardless of newsroom staff size. The an automated event-marketing calendar pigments. New York Daily News is among the publish- from Evvnt, to automate and monetize what ers reaping the benefits of AI was once a complex and expensive task (see technology (see News & Tech related story, this issue page 27). September/August 2018). In its As in years past, newspapers and commer- Turn to case, the paper is leveraging cial printers will need to make informed and SendtoNews’ Smart Match AI smart business decisions in 2019. There’s no page 57 video player to generate sports question that a customer-first mentality is for expanded video content. crucial and will continue to be a driver for In terms of trends, native newspapers’ success in this year. p industry advertising is one that’s been coverage News & Tech January/February 2019 u 1 www.newsandtech.com — Let’s write the future. With retrofit solutions that give your press another ten years of life. ABB’s retrofit solutions for newspaper presses will extend the productive life of your press, improve print quality, reduce waste and improve efficiency — for a fraction of the cost of a new press. Worried about the availability of spare parts for your existing controls? With an ABB retrofit you know that spares will be available worldwide for ten to fifteen years. Whether looking for replacement drives, new controls, conversion to shaftless or a complete press reconfiguration, ABB has the right solution for you. The key to the future of your printing business lies with ABB. www.abb.com/printing 2 t January/February 2019 News & Tech ABB-Ad_Newsandtech_228x276_a.indd 1 21.07.2017 07:51:57 uVendor News Manroland Goss acquires GWS, Dovak Printing solutions provider manroland Goss web systems Group ac- last year, MGWS says. quired GWS Printing Systems of the Netherlands, a specialist in used web “The acquisition of GWS and DOVAK by MGWS is a logical consequence offset equipment, the companies announced Dec. 20. of the many years of cooperation between the companies and the numerous Owners Eric van Kessel and Walter Donkers will continue as managers project successes celebrated between the companies,” said Alexander Was- of the business. With the acquisition of GWS and France-based service spe- sermann, CEO of manroland Goss. “Teaming our forces and solutions will cialist Dovak Industrial Services, MGWS “is making a next important step in result in an even broader portfolio to the printing industry worldwide. We the development of its strategy to be the most advanced solution provider to expect the used equipment market and related services to grow within the the web offset printing industry,” the company says. MGWS and GWS have next years, so adding GWS gives us the chance to become an even stronger already closely cooperated in the field of used equipment, heatset press and broader supplier in this business area.” service and within the Market-X e-commerce platform launched by MGWS Manroland Goss acquires Harland Simon’s intellectual property rights Germany-based manroland Goss Group has Having secured the intellectual property rights land Simon users with the additional backing of acquired the intellectual property rights of U.K.- for all Harland Simon products in the print in- the worldwide sales and service teams of manro- based Harland Simon. The move follows the dustry via administrators Trevor Binyon and Tim land Goss,” said Steve Withers, senior manager, merger between manroland and Goss, which was Dolder at Opus Restructuring & Insolvency, man- Engineered Solutions. announced last summer. roland Goss will be able to offer a wide breadth of “This addition to the manroland Goss solutions A team of engineers to support the existing Har- retrofit upgrades, according to a news release on is a clear commitment to the market,” said Alex- land Simon install base has been created, accord- the acquisition. ander Wassermann, CEO of manroland Goss. “It ing to manroland Goss. The team has over 100 “While this has been a difficult time for Harland reinforces the focus on growing our aftermarket years of experience of Harland Simon systems, Simon, we are very happy that as part of manro- and service business for the installed base world- manroland Goss says. land Goss we can fully support all existing Har- wide.” Managing directors, investor buy out ppi Media On Jan. 1, managing directors Hauke Berndt and Manuel Scheyda to- specifically in products and markets that will strengthen and expand ppi gether with the strategic investor Alexander Eck took over ppi Media as part Media’s position in the publishing industry in the long term,” says Berndt, of a management buyout, the company says. managing director. With the management buyout, ppi Media is separating from the Eversfrank “The decision to take the helm at ppi Media was an easy one. We are op- Group, which acquired the company from manroland in 2012. The software timally positioned in a media environment characterized by innovation and company, with over 100 employees at its locations in Kiel and Hamburg, change,” says Scheyda. Germany, as well as Chicago, sells integrated software solutions. In addition to the two managing directors, who together hold most of the The buyout enables ppi Media to focus its digital solutions on the chal- shares, strategic investor and IT entrepreneur Alexander Eck will become a lenges of the media industry, the company says. “We will invest even more shareholder of ppi Media and will advise the management on strategic issues.