英国《卫报》将缩减印刷版 进军数字领域

The publisher of the Guardian and Observer newspapers is close to axing the print editions of its newspapers, despite the hopes of its editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger to keep them running for several years.

Senior figures at Guardian News & Media are seriously discussing the move to an entirely online operation, it has been claimed, leaving Mr Rusbridger increasingly isolated.

The longstanding Guardian chief wants to develop the Guardian’s digital-only US operation before pulling the plug on the print edition, in the hope that it will provide a useful blueprint for the online business in Britain.

However, trustees of the Scott Trust, GNM’s ultimate owner, fear it does not have enough cash on its books to sustain the newspapers for that long, according to More About Advertising, the website run by former Marketing Week editor Stephen Foster.

The Guardian publisher has spent the last few years battling to stem losses of £44m a year. However, it has been slow to make savings and any money that it has clawed back has been spent on expanding its US and online operations.

The investments helped to fuel a 16pc increase in digital revenues to £45.7m last year, but this was not enough to balance GNM’s operating losses.

Guardian Media Group, GNM's parent company fared even worse. Its operating losses more than doubled to £129.1m after nearly £55m of write-offs.

Meanwhile, the company has been forced to steadily shrink the Guardian newspaper, getting rid of some of its flagship supplements. GNM has also pledged to axe up to 100 of its 650 editorial staff.

Last year, GNM also looked at closing the £80m printing plant it opened seven years ago, and moving its printing presses out of London.

However, it now seems more likely to stop running the presses altogether.

A GNM spokesman denied that it intends to stop printing newspapers, saying they would “remain the foundations of our organisation for many years to come”. The newspapers generate three quarters of GNM’s revenues but do not turn a profit.

尽管主编艾伦•罗斯布里奇希望可以将印刷版多运营几年，但英国《卫报》和《观察家报》的发行商还是将削减印刷版业务。

据称，卫报资讯传媒集团的主管们正认真研究完全转向网络运营一事，这导致罗斯布里奇希愈发孤立。

在完全结束印刷业务之前，《卫报》资深负责人想在美国发展数字版，并希望这可以为在英国的网络业务提供一份有益的规划。

但根据《行销周刊》前编辑史蒂芬-福斯特创办的广告资讯网站的介绍，卫报资讯传媒集团的拥有者、斯科特信托基金的受托人担心，并没有足够的资金支持这份报纸这么久。

在过去几年，《卫报》发行商一直设法防止每年亏损4400万英镑，但增收速度非常慢，而且所有弥补性收入都被用于发展美国版和网络经营。

相关投资帮助该集团去年的数字营销收入达到4570万英镑，增长率达到16%，但这还是不足以抵消营业亏损。

卫报资讯传媒集团的母公司、卫报传媒集团的经营状况更差。在冲销掉大约5500万英镑后，该集团的营业亏损仍然达到1亿零291万英镑，是之前的两倍多。

同时，该公司还被迫逐渐缩减《卫报》的发行规模，取消一些主要增刊。卫报资讯传媒集团还决定在其650名编辑团队中削减100个职位。

去年，卫报资讯传媒集团还考虑关闭七年前开业的价值8000万英镑的印刷厂，并把印刷业务搬离伦敦。

但现在看来，该集团更有可能停掉印刷版业务。

卫报资讯传媒集团的一位发言人否认将停止印刷版，并表示印刷版业务“在今后若干年内仍将是整个集团的基础业务”。报纸业务创造了该集团3/4的营业收入，但却没有利润。