Developing e-business models in practice: the case of the regional online newspaper

The dot.com and telecoms meltdown have led to claims in the popular press that e-commerce and e-business may have gone as far as they can. In practice, of course, the rationalisation of the internet-based marketplace has really only meant that sound business practices are now required for online companies, as well as for their more conventional brethren in the physical world. As companies and individuals become more accustomed to the convenience of doing business as and when they like, traditional companies in all sectors are increasingly seeking ways of internet-enabling their products and services. In this paper we look at how the formerly very conservative newspaper industry – in particular, regional newspapers – has developed online business models. A review of relevant, literature-based e-business models is followed by a series of mini case studies of online regional newspapers in Germany, France and Italy. We find that the models actually in use by regional online papers are more sophisticated and more complex than those suggested in the academic literature and we discuss the ways in which practice can contribute to theory development. While the success of these models is not yet firmly established, it appears that there is considerable potential for successful online positioning of regional newspapers.