Daniel Herbert leaves Boxing News

[Wake up call]

Interesting speculation about the 'death' of the printed word. But I see newspapers flying out the door of shops every morning, and my super technical daughter will not use a Kindle because she's far happier with a book in her hand.
Do you not find it more comfortable reading the written word for a lengthy period, rather than looking at a screen ?? I don't know - but I couldn't read the BN or BM on a computer screen or on an iPAD. I think those media are mostly for a quick glance at something as opposed to a 'real' read.

The thing is, newspapers aren't flying out of shops every morning. Almost every paper has seen its readership plummet in the last few years and it's only going to get worse. Regional newspapers are closing or merging left right and centre.

Where I live the Yorkshire Evening Post (who I used to freelance for) has merged many of its news desks with the Yorkshire Post so they can run reduced staffing numbers. The Keighley News no longer has staff in the town as their jobs have been piled onto the work the journalists at the Telegraph and Argus in Bradford have to do. The old office is up for sale now.

http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2013/ ... l-dailies/

Many young people simply will not entertain the idea of newspapers anymore because they feel they can get the information quicker and for free online. Because of devices like the iPhone and mobile networks, it is now possible to access digital news from pretty much anywhere at any time.

Very soon they'll have been a whole generation of kids who have grown up not reading print publications.

Something that is often overlooked as well is the fact that the internet is still in its infancy. Most people have only been using it ten to 15 years and it's come on leaps and bounds in that time. Not so long ago the idea of 4G networks and fibre optic home broadband were unimaginable. What's the internet going to be like in ten years from now?

[mickey1975]

I can read my local press(York) online for free and to be honest, it's really gone downhill in the last few years since it switched from evening to morning.

[polecateddy]

Having Boxing News on the iPhone is a Godsend now I live overseas. Kindles at Amazon outsell paperbacks something like 10 to 1 these days. I should know, I'm a novelist.

[Wake up call]

The move from print to digital for novelists hasn't been that bad though has it? People will still pay for books regardless of format.

In some ways book publishing and music production can thrive in a digital age because the format gives the power back to the person producing content rather than a faceless publishing firm. They can do their own marketing and distribution and keep 100 per cent of the royalties rather the 7 per cent or so they'd get from a publisher.

This was proven this year when Macklemore got to number one on the US billboard purely through self promotion online.

News is different, because people now expect to get it nothing. This means the only revenue comes from advertising, but the internet is an ocean compared to the newspaper sector's tiny pond so the money from advertisers is greatly diluted.

[lefty]

Interesting speculation about the 'death' of the printed word. But I see newspapers flying out the door of shops every morning, and my super technical daughter will not use a Kindle because she's far happier with a book in her hand.
Do you not find it more comfortable reading the written word for a lengthy period, rather than looking at a screen ?? I don't know - but I couldn't read the BN or BM on a computer screen or on an iPAD. I think those media are mostly for a quick glance at something as opposed to a 'real' read.

Sadly the stats are far more rigorous than your anecdotal evidence. For example, digital book sales have now overtaken print book sales on Amazon:
http://news.techworld.com/personal-tech ... in-the-uk/
You've also got to think about the ferocious pace of change. Current 'first generation' e-readers etc will soon be surpassed and within a few years you'll have devices that are easier on the eye and just as portable (as light and flexible as paper).

What are your personal feelings on reading an actual book vs reading on a Ipad or kindle, etc Deserter? Your personal tastes I mean?

[Deserter]

Interesting speculation about the 'death' of the printed word. But I see newspapers flying out the door of shops every morning, and my super technical daughter will not use a Kindle because she's far happier with a book in her hand.
Do you not find it more comfortable reading the written word for a lengthy period, rather than looking at a screen ?? I don't know - but I couldn't read the BN or BM on a computer screen or on an iPAD. I think those media are mostly for a quick glance at something as opposed to a 'real' read.

Sadly the stats are far more rigorous than your anecdotal evidence. For example, digital book sales have now overtaken print book sales on Amazon:
http://news.techworld.com/personal-tech ... in-the-uk/
You've also got to think about the ferocious pace of change. Current 'first generation' e-readers etc will soon be surpassed and within a few years you'll have devices that are easier on the eye and just as portable (as light and flexible as paper).

What are your personal feelings on reading an actual book vs reading on a Ipad or kindle, etc Deserter? Your personal tastes I mean?

It's a good question. I never thought I'd make the switch, but since buying a Kindle last year on a whim I haven't looked back in all honesty. Still buy the odd printed book, but the kindle's just so convenient and being able to order a book wirelessly straight after reading a review and have it downloaded in seconds is fantastic. I travel as well, so again, taking the kindle rather than five books is so much more practical.
As for mags, I still prefer print - I've started subscribing to BN on the ipad, but don't find it as 'user-friendly' as the printed mag, and haven't been tempted to get my other favourite mags (BM, Fighters Only, Four-Four-Two, Empire) in digital format yet. Suspect that will change as the medium evolves though.
By the way, I bought my mum a kindle for her birthday - she's a voracious reader and after swearing she'd never switch to digital books she absolutely loves it now.

[Chris W 1982]

Wish Daniel all the best.

A quiet and personal man but always polite and professional whenever we spoke.

The majority of my dealings at Boxing News were overseen by Mr Herbert and he was nothing but a gentleman whenever we spoke.

The last of the old school at Boxing News and someone who will be very missed.

Good Luck Daniel

[Wake up call]

Wish Daniel all the best.

A quiet and personal man but always polite and professional whenever we spoke.

The majority of my dealings at Boxing News were overseen by Mr Herbert and he was nothing but a gentleman whenever we spoke.

The last of the old school at Boxing News and someone who will be very missed.

Good Luck Daniel

[the truth]

To be fair it's not upto much now anyway, too commercialised , it used to be a trade paper now it's more like reading a teen mag, total pump

[Glyn Leach]

If I was Glyn Leach I'd snap up Daniel Herbert and Claude Abrams ( if he's back from a round the world tour) plus Bob Mee and seriously consider creating a 'Boxing Fortnightly ' magazine !!! It might work ??

Speaking as Glyn Leach, I wish them all well but no thanks, they're just not right for what I want to do. I mean no offence in saying that, I respect them all for the jobs they have done, but their style of writing is suited to a weekly more than a monthly.

There actually was a two week version of BM about 22 years ago, called Boxing Monthly Update. Bombed like Dresden. I'd love to do something like that again, myself and Graham Houston are very much into covering as many fights as we possibly can and there's such fantastic access to boxing worldwide these days. There's a limit to the amount of reports a monthly can carry, though, we're limited by space and many fights we see just dont get reported anywhere, in print or on the Internet. But it would take a braver and richer man than me to launch a new publication in this market. These are very tough times for all print publications, with journalists being made redundant across the board. We've always run a tight ship so we can carry on as we are without having to take such drastic measures, but we're cutting costs the same as everyone else is, there isn't any choice if you want to survive. And I'm determined that BM will.

[-KOKid-]

I still enjoy getting my Boxing News every week (and BM every month for that matter).
But BN can be better than it currently is imo, it would only take a few tweaks, like giving more space to the Old-Timer/boxing history section for one.
Another thing which could do wonders is givng Bob Mee more work.
Best writer in the business, bar none.

[Deserter]

I still enjoy getting my Boxing News every week (and BM every month for that matter).
But BN can be better than it currently is imo, it would only take a few tweaks, like giving more space to the Old-Timer/boxing history section for one.

But this comment proves how subjective things are, as it's my least favourite part of the mag and the one I'm most inclined to skip over.

[polecateddy]

I still enjoy getting my Boxing News every week (and BM every month for that matter).
But BN can be better than it currently is imo, it would only take a few tweaks, like giving more space to the Old-Timer/boxing history section for one.

But this comment proves how subjective things are, as it's my least favourite part of the mag and the one I'm most inclined to skip over.

You can get too much of that stuff. The abysmal Aussie mag, World of Boxing used to bang on about Jeff Fenech and Lionel Rose every single issue. Thank God that mag has folded now!