Based on accounts from several reliable sources, the operations of online publication Inquirer.net will be folding back and joining the Philippine Daily Inquirer publication anytime now.
The site Inquirer.net will not be closing down, contrary to earlier rumors but will be consolidated with the operations of the print publication. Although the Inquirer.net team has not yet moved offices, the status of this consolidation is still “on hold”.
Several key people have already resigned from the team, including Editor-in-Chief JV Rufino and VP & Executive Editor Leo Magno, a couple of weeks ago.
Apparently, the online advertising business model that Inquirer has been swimming on in the last decade didn’t really pan out. While operations grew and content creation expanded to web videos and a blog network, the ad money wasn’t enough to sustain the business. Some part-time bloggers in the Inquirer Blog Network were also asked to stop writing a few weeks back.
Inquirer.net used to be Inq7.net which is a joint venture between PDI and GMA 7 until the latter bolted off of the partnership to put up its own website, GMA-News.tv. Inquirer.net is the top online destination in the Philippines and this development could have a huge impact in the online publishing industry in the Philippines.
I came across this while taking a break from facebook. I think you’re on to some good info here.
i’m not part of inquirer management, but this view comes from years of having led several e-commerce content management projects here and abroad.
from a business perspective, consolidation sounds like a logical if not eventual development for inquirer.net. we must remember that paid readership (subscription and repeated purchases) and sponsorship (ads) form the lifeblood of any publication.
the bigger picture will tell us that inquirer is not alone in this battle as hitherto print-version buyers may resort to online-only access–which is free, thus no revenue from readership, save for ad sponsorships.
it remains a tricky balance and unfortunately the online presence still has to serve to supplement the “more vital” print business, and to not forget the “subscription” part of the business.
fortunately, when it comes to building communities and brand ambassadors, online is tops. from there can arise support for subscription. not to mention the ability to make global impact.
let’s ask ourselves: we may love publications like wired, natgeo, time, pcworld, and the likes, but how many of us actually have regular subscriptions to them? we all want to keep updated, but those keeping us up-to-date also have to keep their business afloat–so, are their print and online versions doing the job? and as readers, are we doing our share?
(ultimately, the idea is to pay less for more towards a “happy reader” cycle: more readership, more ad-buyers, less subscription cost, more demand for excellent articles, more writers employed, and who knows, maybe even less ads–or only relevant ads)