A newspaper business model that's working
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Haddonfield, N.J. - It's widely reported - and has become generally
accepted - that the newspaper model is either dying or already dead,
when, in fact, thousands of newspapers across the country are doing
quite well. Thousands of newspapers deliver for their readers and
advertisers every day. Thousands of newspapers are positioned to
embrace - not be destroyed by - emerging technology.
But
we don't get to read much about those newspapers. Sure it's news when
giant corporations crash and burn and lives are disrupted. Stories that
report on incompetent leaders who, ironically, receive outlandish
compensation are widely read. Documenting the downfall of powerful
entities, whether they are governments or businesses, is a legitimate
pursuit. But, as any respectable journalist knows, when you tell only
half the story, the story is incomplete - or just plain wrong.
Read more...
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Metro to sell U.S. papers
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Metro International S.A. of Sweden will sell its US papers
to a company run by its former CEO. The deal includes papers in New
York, Philadelphia and Boston. They represent a combined circulation of
590,000 and 1.2 million readers.
The company has been on a campaign to
reduce expenses, and the US operations have been consistent
money-losers. Metro International operates more than 81 editions in 22
countries. CFO Anders Kronborg says he "doesn't see any growth in the
[US] market this year or in 2010."
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CSM editor comments on print
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Christian Science Monitor editor John Yemma, who was one of the first print veterans to pull the plug on paper, comments dispassionately on new research that shows that consumers now prefer to receive information online rather than in print.
Yemma also cites recent comments by investor Warren Buffett that he
wouldn't buy a newspaper at any price as evidence that the decline of
print is unstoppable. "The man famous for determining fundamental value
in a stock before investing sees none in this industry, despite beaten
down share prices," Yemma writes. "...In a hundred thousand individual
decisions, readers touch off the process of creative destruction. And
increasingly readers seem to be deciding that daily print and ink are
unnecessary."
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Carolina MoneySaver to print Maryland Pennysaver
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The Pennysaver Group Inc., publisher of the Pennysaver in Maryland,
has completed a project to transition its in-house Pennysaver printing
to a new printing partnership with the Carolina Moneysaver.com LLC,
based in North Carolina. This agreement will result in increased color
capacity for Pennysaver advertisers as well as improved overall quality
and content for Pennysaver readers.
"Over
the past seven years, our competitors have made significant color
changes to their products," says Orestes Baez, Pennysaver CEO and
president. "In today's world, we must provide a product with greater
color capacity to stay active as a leading print product of choice. The
opportunities in today's economy allowed us to find a great partner in
the Moneysaver and use their expertise and infrastructure to accomplish
this important task."
By
having the Moneysaver print the Pennysaver product, advertisers will be
able to purchase 4-color advertising on every page - an improvement
over the current local print structure. Classified customers will also
have increased color capacity to make their ads even more visible.
All 65 Pennysaver editions are now printed weekly in North Carolina.
See www.pennysaverwired.com.
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Ballston Journal has new owner
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The publisher of Our Towne Ballston Spa, a direct-mail magazine, has purchased the Ballston Journal.
Angela McFarland took over the 211-year-old Ballston Spa weekly from the Hearst Corp., which owns The Times Union in Albany, N.Y. A Hearst subsidiary called Capital Region Newspapers owned the Journal along with nine free "shoppers" stretching from Latham to Saratoga Springs.
Patrick Smith, publisher of Capital Region Newspapers, said one of
those shoppers, the Ballston-Malta Pennysaver, already served
advertisers in Ballston Spa area and that Hearst "couldn't afford the
luxury of two competing papers in the same market."
"I know how important this newspaper is to the community," Smith said. "But we need[ed] to make this business decision."
Read more...
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Cheers,
Craig McMullin
Executive Director
AFCP
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