Pretty sure I’m not using the app any more than I used to … so I assume this is new.
Solution … Delete app and go back to RSS.
@JohnPhilpin Hmm. Could be. They are losing money, and their latest financial results were pretty dire.
@JohnPhilpin One of the problems there is the people who will do the work to maintain and support RSS are also not getting paid.
Everybody keeps choosing Free and expecting to get Paid results.
(I often think of this is an easy topic we could probably ramble on about for far too long — oh, hey, podcast idea! 😂)
@SimonWoods Yup - I get it. But for whatever reason, The Grauniad is limiting their App - but not their RSS - at least that I can see, so I presume they have a business case? (Don't know it - but they are one of the better News Orgs that have managed this transition).
@JohnPhilpin Yep. That's why I also worry about RSS in general; if the better performing sources are struggling, then the technology could be next in line for manipulation. Given that podcasting is already under attack, it doesn't feel good to be honest.
@SimonWoods they could limit their RSS to introductions - click through to site for full article - add in a 'micropayment' and voila ... 'quotes' - but more like a stored value card.
I would gladly drop 50 bucks into my Guardian account - and use slices of it to pay for ability to read an article I really want to ... I think Substack should also be thinking this way.
Then again - nobody pays attention to what I think :-)
@JohnPhilpin Here's a piece in Press Gazette - pressgazette.co.uk/media_bus... - GMG are putting positive spin, but they need overseas growth to offset declining UK revenues. Some of the loss is investments for this - and, let's face it, the Scott Trust can afford to keep covering losses of this order for some time. But, I think their overseas growth is off plan
@mmetcalfe thankyou - well global growth has an upside of some percentage of billions - UK just tens of millions … i still don’t get why the BBC haven’t done more of a push on that front … recognizing that there are significant differences in the business structures and licenses.
@JohnPhilpin I don't think the Graun is after non-affluent, or non-English-speaking markets, though things may change. As it is they've undershot targets and are having to double-down on staffing up. With the BBC... it's complicated. The BBC isn't a business competing in the market, however close it sails to the wind. UK private media would have a meltdown. The BBC is funded, as you say, by a licence fee, and so it primarily produces content for licence-fee payers. It does have a commercial division BBC Studios, which produces its international channels, often in collaboration. By and large these channels recycle content made for licence-fee payers. There is also the World Service, and, although this is ostensibly the BBC (and even though funding has been cut by government in recent years) it is essentially a UK overseas propaganda service (compare VoA), in reality directed by FCDO