‘Christian Science Monitor’ To Cease Daily Publication

by Gavin O’Malley, Tuesday, Oct 28, 2008 1:34 PM ET

Signaling a fundamental shift in the publishing industry, The Christian Science Monitor today announced plans to shift from daily to a weekly print publishing format. In turn, the national newspaper plans to invest heavily in its Web presence.
“We’re the first national paper to switch to a web first strategy,” said John Yemma, editor of the newspaper, which is more than 100 years old and has won seven Pulitzer Prizes. “We need to make it first rather than secondary, so we can make it more of a go-to destination.”
The newspaper industry is facing intense pressure to downsize and reorganize due to decreasing ad revenue, rising production costs, and a whole host of new and Web-facilitated competition.
“Overall macro-trends definitely played a roll here,” Yemma said. “Every paper that I know is struggling with essentially a broken business model that includes unnecessary production costs, awful deadlines and a horrible carbon footprint.”
As a result, by April of next year, the news organization plans to be producing an enhanced, constantly updated version of its Web site, CSMonitor.com, along with the launch of a weekly print edition and a daily electronic subscription product.
The new Web edition will feature original reporting seven days a week, and the new weekly print publication will contain stories that look behind the headlines and help readers understand global issues.
In the coming months, the Monitor will make significant upgrades to its Web site, including 24/7 original reporting on global news which is continuously updated. The site will also include “global conversations” between readers and Monitor staff as well as links to content elsewhere on the Web.
As part of its multi-platform format, the Monitor will also launch a new daily e-news edition, which will be delivered via e-mail. The two- to three-page subscription product will include an original column from the editors, a selection important Monitor stories and inks to other Monitor stories.
“The Christian Science Monitor recognizes that daily print has become too costly and energy-intensive,” Yemma said. “Online journalism is more timely and is rapidly expanding its reach, especially among younger readers.”
According to Yemma, the Monitor will continue to distinguish itself by its focus on and investment in international news coverage with 18 bureaus worldwide.
Gavin O’Malley can be reached at gavin@mediapost.com