6 million the aim being to descend to 10

Leave the paper to switch entirely to the Web, some newspapers in dream. The "Christian Science Monitor" has done. Eighteen months ago, the national daily American, based in Boston, renowned for the quality of its content and its international coverage, made the big leap. John Yemma, a former leader of the "Boston Globe" recruited mid-2008, has developed a first review of his experience last week in Hamburg, at the World Congress of newspapers (World Editors Forum).

"In the 1950s, this century-old daily balanced accounts." But its profitability had deteriorated progressively: in 2008, he lost $ 20 million. "But the Church which funds, the First Church of Christ Scientist, wanted no more continue to bear such deficit", he said in an interview with "Les echos". And, even if the newspaper also enjoys revenues in a Fund of 100 million surveys in the 1970s, which generates 6.8 million in interest per year.

The finding is necessary then: it is too expensive to print the daily five days a week, and to distribute throughout the country. "We had 40,000 subscribers on average receiving the newspaper every day, but without a local base," said John Yemma. End of 2008, it was therefore decided to transform the paper edition in a weekly magazine, 48 pages, "on the model of"the economist", with a little more human." The latest issue of the daily paper is March 27, 2009. Since then, journalists feed Internet wire on which papers are published as soon as bouclé. Free of charge. The main information are then summarized and published in a "newsletter" daily of 3 pages, sent by e-mail to 17 hours in PDF format, medium a subscription of $ 5.75 per month ($ 69 per year). The strength of the writing has been minimized, 95 to 82 journalists (including 13 dedicated to the magazine). "It took taking new reflexes, to become more relevant on the Web." "The objective was to boost our audience on the Internet," says John Yemma.

Still in loss

From this point of view, the bet is won. Web site traffic has tripled, from 6 to 18 million page views, and 2 to 6 million unique visitors between August 2009 and August 2010. The magazine has also two times more subscribers than the daily previously: 80.600 last score. "newsletter" is a she, not yet seduced crowds: it has for the time being 3.800 subscribers.

However, the economic benefits of the operation proved disappointing. "The savings on printing and distribution were offset by the decrease in revenue linked to the judgment of the paper." "But in online advertising, which has generated the first year, $ 1.3 million, was not up to our expectations," recognizes John Yemma. "However, advertising revenues have exceeded our goals on the magazine."

After a year, the press group losses were barely reduced, from 20 to 19.4 million. On the upcoming fiscal year (from May 2010 to April 2011), they are expected to fall to $ 17.6 million, the aim being to descend to 10.6 million in the fiscal year ending in 2013. John Yemma is prudent. "We expected that online advertising revenues would reach 6 million by 2013." Today, this goal seems to be extremely aggressive. "It will take hard work to get there," concluded the leader.