Wednesday 23 September 2009

Alan Rusbridger posts on Greenslade: 'We haven't ploughed lunatic sums into digital'


Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger has posted on Roy Greenslade's blog on MediaGuardian to counter claims the paper has ploughed "lunatic sums" into online.
Rusbridger was responding to a post by Shanksy on Roy's blog about whether Rupert Murdoch's plan to get newspapers to charge for news website will work.
Shanksy wrote: "Five per cent paying something is a lot better than no-one paying anything. Look at the Guardian. It's ploughed so much into its internet operation that it is now having to lay off journalists - advertising revenues online are pitiful. Murdoch isn't worried about charging as deep-down he knows the BBC offers no real alternative - its website is dull as ditch water. People will pay and it will work - it's all about having access to decent content, however you define decent. And it won't be long before MediaGuardian is a paid site, one of the first being earmarked by the Guardian to go that way."
Alan Rusbridger responded: "That's not actually right. Since 2002/3 our spending on guardian.co.uk (operational and capex) has exceeded revenue by just £20m. There's a crisis in the industry, and the Guardian is no more immune than anyone else, but it's a myth that we've ploughed lunatic sums into digital."

No comments: