Free Press nominated for Global Media Awards

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This article was published 08/03/2016 (3503 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Free Press has received three nominations from the International News Media Association’s (INMA) annual Global Media Awards competition, recognizing its efforts to grow its audience and brand. All of these achievements are in digital categories: Best Idea to Grow Digital Readership or Engagement, Best New Paid Content or Subscription Initiative, and Best Use of Data Analytics. In a rapidly changing media environment, the INMA awards highlight initiatives to instil innovation, create new products and engage readers.

The Free Press revolutionized its digital coverage in 2015, launching the new WinnipegFreePress.com and creating a fresh slate of online-exclusive offerings to its readers, beginning with the daily Head Start. Head Start, a morning briefing on the top stories of the day, was recognized by INMA in the category of growing digital readership. It is part of the Free Press’s ongoing efforts to revamp its direct e-mail offerings that recommend content to readers based on their unique desires, habits, and expectations. The regular ‘Recommended For You’ subscriber email, as well as digital products like Ctrl+F, Playbook and Politics 204 are all part of this initiative. Other organizations recognized in this category include the Financial Times, Politiken of Copenhagen and Brazil’s Correio.

“The nominations are recognition of the steps we’ve taken in the past year in developing quality news and information about Winnipeg that is unmatched elsewhere and worth paying for online as well as in the print newspaper,” said Bob Cox, publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press.

“We will continue to develop paid digital to support our mission to provide Winnipeg and Manitoba readers with comprehensive content about what touches their lives directly, be it the search for a missing teenager or what the city budget really means for taxpayers.”

The new WinnipegFreePress.com, recognized by INMA as a nominee for Best New Paid Content Initiative, was launched last year in an effort to grow revenue and effectively ‘unbundle’ news for readers. Following a deep analysis of the stumbling blocks faced by other, more traditional paywalls, the Free Press developed its innovative 27-cent solution: the ‘Read Now, Pay Later’ system for readers looking to purchase individual articles. This was offered alongside a digital subscription model for readers who preferred that option. Giving readers more choice and highlighting content recommended specifically for them resulted in a massive performance increase for WinnipegFreePress.com.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by INMA in all the categories we entered,” said Sarah Lilleyman, the Associate Editor, Operations and Engagement at the Free Press. “Our digital innovation has attracted global attention, and we are just getting started.”

The INMA Global Media Awards competition received almost 700 entries from 264 news organizations around the world. The winners will be announced May 24 in London.

— Staff