Advertising: importance of

advertising, advertising to editorial

ratio, online versus newspaper
advertising

Topics Audience

News Ethics
Advertising

 The main purpose of the media is to be profitable i.e., make money

 Declining advertising figures put a threat on newspapers in the United States of
America where some 73 per cent of their revenues are generated through
advertising
 Only 27 per cent result from copy sales, subscription and other revenues (PEW
2011a, in Lindstadt and Budzinski, 2011)
Advertising

 In Jamaica, advertising accounts for as much as 95 per cent of newspapers’

revenues.

 Advertising impacts editorial news space. It is possible to have too much editorial
space because there are not enough ads, and too little because of the number of ads.

 Advertising content also determine the size of the publication. E.g., 24 pages as
opposed to 28 or 32 pages.
Advertising
Advertising is paid media, so
the business placing the
advertisement pays for the
space and (within reason)
dictates its content (Business
Barn, n.d.).
Editorial is free, it is referred to
as earned media and there is
little or no interference with
the final style, direction. Theme
of content is up to the
publication.
Most publications determine
the size of editions based on a
formula, called an advertising
ratio.
Advertising

The ratio is simply the amount of advertising in any edition expressed as a percentage
compared with editorial content.

For instance, a 50 per cent ad ratio means 50 per cent of that publication's space is filled by
advertising or other paid content.

A 40 per cent ratio means 40 per cent of that publication is advertising. In most publications,
the ratio of advertising is more than the editorial.

This ratio goes up depending on time of year e.g., Christmas, back-to-school, Valentine’s,
Easter etc.
Advertising

The advertising ratio needed to make a profit is calculated and determines the number of pages
editors must work with.

Many newspapers aim for a 50 per cent ad ratio--up from a few years ago, when it generally
was about 40 percent.

Newspapers which reach an ad ratio of 70 to 80 per cent will be perceived by an audience as a

"shopper"--no matter how seriously the staff covers real news.
Advertising
 Normally, advertising
departments put
together dummy
pages with
advertisements
already laid in, then
sends those pages to
editors. Editors may
fill whatever is left
over with editorial
copy.
Advertising

 Pages may also increase on special occasions.

 It will revert to minimum in low pages to maintain ratio.

 Audience tastes also impact advertising and ad ratio

 Newspaper advertising is still
relevant and practical

Ads can still be targeted in

Advertising specific sections of paper

Print ads hold attention better

than online
 Newspapers now offer web and print
advertising packages

Online advertising now makes up part of

overall revenue stream.
Advertising

Online advertising is often cheaper and in

the case of social media can be targeted to
specific regions
Audience
  Normally appears in a publication is
based on market research to decide
Audience what its audience wants.
 If surveys show readers are looking for
sports, then expect sports to be
emphasized.
 The percentage of political news,
international news, sports, feature,
editorials, comics, hobby columns, etc.,
is a push and pull between marketing
surveys, the view of the publisher and
top editors.
 Newspaper editors do have some flexibility unavailable to other
editors or news directors.

If a column is unpopular, the editor sometimes can keep it in

Audience publication For instance, say a marketing survey shows few
people read a daily bridge column.

A newspaper can offer something for everyone. If your reader

buys a newspaper only for the bridge column, a publisher doesn't
care why you buy, only that you buy.
  In Jamaica, media decide what to offer mainly
based on the All-Media Survey and in-house
Audience surveys.
 It is conducted biennially (every two years)
across the island and is paid for by all the media
houses.
 There are also individual surveys done in house
to determine readership of products
Audience

1 2 3
The 2017 All-Media Survey Readership is separate from There are more female
puts potential newspaper circulation. Readership is readers than male readers
readers at more than normally higher than (489,000:336,000).
800,000. circulation.
Audience

 Readership is divided into the following categories:

1. ABC1 Readers: usually upper and upper middle-income Jamaicans.

2. C2: Middle income Jamaicans
3. Working class Jamaicans
 The bulk of the readers are from middle income backgrounds
  The bulk of the readership is in Kingston and
other urban areas
 The Sunday Gleaner is the most widely-read
Audience paper.
 The STAR has more readership than the Jamaica
Observer
Audience

 The Tell Me Pastor is one of the most widely-read products. It averages more than 90 per
cent in terms of readership.

 For your paper (a community initiative), you will be required to do surveys among your
peers to design a product in terms of content.

 You can increase the size of paper depending on advertising, number of stories and
audience tastes
News Ethics
 News Ethics
 Journalism ethics has developed in two directions:
 News organizations have adopted codes of ethics and guidelines that prohibit
taking material from other newspapers or magazines, books, the Internet
without full credit; prohibit accepting anything of value from a source; limit
activities that pose a conflict of interest.
 Reporters subscribe to a personal code that stresses willingness to
investigate abuses of power and to place responsibility for the failure of
policies on those who made them; compassion for the poor, the disabled, the
different; commitment to the improvement of their skills. (Mencher, 2011)
 Reporters and editors are constantly
making decisions about what to cover,
include leave out of a story.

News Ethics
Selection is at the heart of journalism,
and it is guided by values established
by journalistic practice and society.
News Ethics

01 02 03
Writing, publishing or Fabricating and/or Engaging in the practice
broadcasting news, plagiarising news; of self-censorship to
information or comments suppress essential
not based on facts, or information
designed to misinform;
  Revealing or betraying the secrecy of sources of
information. (A source of information,
News Ethics confidentially shared with the journalist, may be
disclosed to one's editor / general manager at
one's discretion and based on the degree of
employer-employee confidence);
 Falling victim to bribery by accepting gifts of
any kind to publish news, press statements,
comments or photographs;
News Ethics
01
Making offensive and unnecessary
references to and discriminating
against an individual on the basis of
race, colour, sex, nationality,
religion or ideology;
02
Writing, publishing or posint
information that goes against the
region's cultural and political
sovereignty.
 Resort only to principled methods in
obtaining and disseminating news
and photographs;

News Ethics
Refrain from any behaviour that
could result in undermining the work
of professional colleagues
 Resist interference by governments, private organisations and
others in the gathering and dissemination of news, information
and views;

 Be impartial in reporting the news regardless of views about

person or organization

 Always strive to be accurate by checking and double-checking

News Ethics
information.
 If an error was made, urgency should be made to apologise; it
could mean the difference between a costly libel suit, your job
and the organization’s viability.