Arkansas newspaper gambles on free iPads as the future
Posted May 25, 2019 6:22 am.
HOPE, Ark. — The publisher of the largest newspaper in Arkansas has said by the end of the year, the publication will no longer print or deliver daily editions and will instead distribute iPads for subscribers to access a daily digital replica.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette will still print a Sunday edition but will urge subscribers to convert to the daily digital replica, accessible via the newspaper’s app.
The newspaper’s publisher, Walter Hussman, has said that if 70% of subscribers convert to the digital version, the paper will be profitable for the first time since 2017.
Some subscribers who converted say they prefer the digital paper, which can be enlarged and which is easily transportable.
But it remains to be seen if the program will also appeal to younger generations.
Hannah Grabenstein, The Associated Press
