Replies

[NDReporter]

Please discuss.

Website publication time change

Published: Thursday, July 29, 2010 8:35 PM CDT
Out of respect to our print edition subscribers and their committment to using The News-Dispatch as their local news source, The News -Dispatch website will now be updated at 5 p.m. daily. While we value our online readers, it's only fair that our loyal, paying customers of The News-Dispatch print edition have top priority when it comes to reading the news. For subscription information, call 219-874-7211.

[Tim]

I posted this at the site -

So does this mean the webite won't sit for three days w/out being updated like it does now. What does that say about your business model when a cut in service actually yeilds an improvement?

I doubt they'll post it. I've done this before - it never appears.

Just looked at the site. All the headlines are from June 24th. That new policy is really working out!

Morons.

[NDReporter]

I posted this at the site -

So does this mean the webite won't sit for three days w/out being updated like it does now. What does that say about your business model when a cut in service actually yeilds an improvement?

I doubt they'll post it. I've done this before - it never appears.

Just looked at the site. All the headlines are from June 24th. That new policy is really working out!

Morons.

We're getting a lot of comments about the website not being updated the past few days, but that seems to have been fixed. We knew about it all day and were trying to get someone to fix it, as we weren't able to ourselves. I still don't know what happened.

[Tim]

We're getting a lot of comments about the website not being updated the past few days, but that seems to have been fixed. We knew about it all day and were trying to get someone to fix it, as we weren't able to ourselves. I still don't know what happened.

The ND has an online edition and the ND doesn't know how to fix it?

Really?

[NDReporter]

The ND has an online edition and the ND doesn't know how to fix it?

Really?

I'm a reporter, not a web technician. We did all we knew to do, and it still wasn't fixed. Give me a break.

[Tim]

I'm a reporter, not a web technician. We did all we knew to do, and it still wasn't fixed. Give me a break.

I'm sure I didn't say you personally. Nor did I say YOU should fix it. Didn't you write "Discuss" at the beginning of this? And now when someone offers an opinion you either don't like or don't agree with you want them to give you a break.

Please.

[NDReporter]

I'm sure I didn't say you personally. Nor did I say YOU should fix it. Didn't you write "Discuss" at the beginning of this? And now when someone offers an opinion you either don't like or don't agree with you want them to give you a break.

Please.

I'm just sick of people railing on those of us in the trenches here when the real problem is elsewhere...

[Tim]

I'm just sick of people railing on those of us in the trenches here when the real problem is elsewhere...

NO ONE IS RAILING ON YOU PERSONALLY. WE ALL KNOW WHERE THE PROBLEM LIES.

Dangling Christ, I clearly said "The ND has an online edition...." Are you the ND?

I've said this before, but despite your childish outbursts - like this one - I'm sure you're one of the people fighting the good fight at the ND.

Lighten the fun up.

[NDReporter]

NO ONE IS RAILING ON YOU PERSONALLY. WE ALL KNOW WHERE THE PROBLEM LIES.

Dangling Christ, I clearly said "The ND has an online edition...." Are you the ND?

I've said this before, but despite your childish outbursts - like this one - I'm sure you're one of the people fighting the good fight at the ND.

Lighten the fun up.

[Tim]

Which part of that didn't you get? I just read through the thread - not ONE PERSON is "railing" on those of you in the trenches.

You started this discussion. A lot of people here ARE on the side of those of you working hard to plug the hole in the Titanic.

[Tom Burns]

Which part of that didn't you get? I just read through the thread - not ONE PERSON is "railing" on those of you in the trenches.

You started this discussion. A lot of people here ARE on the side of those of you working hard to plug the hole in the Titanic.

Now that there is no local publisher, at least at this moment, where does the problem lie?
Corporate? There were some very good reporters at the paper in the past but many seem to have bailed out or been pushed out. That is a loss for the community.

In every market where we operate there have been cuts, but the most severe have been in Michigan City. In one market the publisher has just started charging for content and readers have responded with anger. It looks like there is no easy answer.

As I indicated some time ago we had an on-line newspaper project underway when the economy softened and we decided to postpone further development. (I know a broadcaster who has launched on-line newspapers successfully). In a normal economy we believe we could support it with advertising. The problem is that bloggers will cut and paste articles from the internet as they now do and that would reduce the value to us and to our clients. I suspect there may be means to protect from reposting, but I am not
certain as we did not look into that aspect.

[Southsider2k12]

Now that there is no local publisher, at least at this moment, where does the problem lie?
Corporate? There were some very good reporters at the paper in the past but many seem to have bailed out or been pushed out. That is a loss for the community.

In every market where we operate there have been cuts, but the most severe have been in Michigan City. In one market the publisher has just started charging for content and readers have responded with anger. It looks like there is no easy answer.

As I indicated some time ago we had an on-line newspaper project underway when the economy softened and we decided to postpone further development. (I know a broadcaster who has launched on-line newspapers successfully). In a normal economy we believe we could support it with advertising. The problem is that bloggers will cut and paste articles from the internet as they now do and that would reduce the value to us and to our clients. I suspect there may be means to protect from reposting, but I am not
certain as we did not look into that aspect.

Yeah, free advertising sucks, doesn't it?

[edgeywood]

Yeah, free advertising sucks, doesn't it?

But how does the newspaper sell advertising? Ever wonder why they practically give away the Chicago Tribune and Post Tribune home subscriptions? Their ad rates are based on circulation. So they reap very little benefit from news aggregators and bloggers. Aggregators may drive some traffic to a paper's web site, but web ad revenues are minuscule compared to the print edition.

Real news organizations are expensive. I believe they are essential for a democracy. How should we fund them? People are willing to fork over $$$ for cable television AND they are subjected to commercials. Is news as important as ESPN, HGTV, HBO?