[Southsider2k12]

I just read this morning that Ann Arbor is shutting down its newspaper (the News) in July. With the same company owning both the Herald Argus and the News Dispatch, does anyone else think we could be seeing a county wide newspaper in the near future? I know both papers have had some pretty significant cutbacks, but after seeing nationwide how many papers are closing down, I can't help but wonder if the days of having a hometown newspaper are numbered.

Opinions and thoughts?

[MC Born & Raised]

I just read this morning that Ann Arbor is shutting down its newspaper (the News) in July. With the same company owning both the Herald Argus and the News Dispatch, does anyone else think we could be seeing a county wide newspaper in the near future? I know both papers have had some pretty significant cutbacks, but after seeing nationwide how many papers are closing down, I can't help but wonder if the days of having a hometown newspaper are numbered.

Opinions and thoughts?

Umm ... no comment? LOL

[Dave]

I noticed a sales flyer thing we got over the weekend was calling itself the Herald - News, or at least that's how it struck my eye at first. My first thought was that they had consolidated the papers without telling anyone.

[Ang]

The Herald-Dispatch.

Or

The News Argus

Hmmmmmm.......

[Tom Burns]

Umm ... no comment? LOL

We are seeing the trend in local newspapers in every market in which we operate radio stations. Is that healthy? No. A free, strong, local news presence is vital to a democracy. While broadcasting can fill much of the gap, newspapers have larger staffs covering local events and are by nature a medium of record.

The decline in newspapers however is not short term. When I graduated in broadcast journalism from the University of Illinois years ago, my friends who majored on the print side were getting such low payng job offers, the brightest did not go into newspaper work, or if they did, they stayed only a short time. In essence newspapers for years have been eating their young for immediate profit but at sacrifice to being competitive in the media world over the long run. As an example, a good business writer can make far more in corporate public relations.

[Tom Burns]

There is an interesting piece in the journalism review from the University of Maryland suggesting that the business model for newspapers on the internet is not viable. Giving away content is not covered by the small amount of advertising generated, and it takes from paid circulation. There are a few exceptions. One is a single station radio market where a friend runs an on-line newspaper generated by the radio news department, not just a posting of news, but a full-blown newspaper. We looked at his model and considered it for Michigan City but have reached no conclusion although we were about 40% of the way to doing it. In an expanding economy this may become viable.

[lighter]

October 10, 2009 will be a day to watchfor, is what i hear. Severals people are being letgo from Michigan City, may be even more from La Porte.

And, from a friend of a friend, Mr. Andrew Tallackson has been told he can't review movies anymore. guess maangement has singled out his toes to jump on now...

[davew]

An on-line news paper. How about start with an on-line presence first and build from there.

The ND has suffered for years under bad management, lackluster writing, underachieving staff and a community that largely does not care. The HA, oh don't get me started there, but why even read it. If you read yahoo news, you have read the HA 3 days before it comes out. Well, besides the few local stories it may run. I don't even read or look at the thing that gets tossed into my driveway every Monday except to toss it in the recycling bin.

I find it funny that the NY Times is suffering with readership and so what it does is it do. It jack up the prices on those that want to read it. I have a novel idea, lower the price and entice more people to buy it thus increasing your readership and then enabling you to charge more for advertising. Maybe, the ND should drop back down to .35 or .25 and sell more papers to have a reason to charge more for it advertising instead of just raising the ad prices to the point that I do not want to use it.

Oh, in the last year, I get more traffic and business from my blogs and on-line presence than I ever did the ND, and that is nearly free (facebook, twitter, blogs, etc etc)

[taxthedeer]

An on-line news paper. How about start with an on-line presence first and build from there.

The ND has suffered for years under bad management, lackluster writing, underachieving staff and a community that largely does not care. The HA, oh don't get me started there, but why even read it. If you read yahoo news, you have read the HA 3 days before it comes out. Well, besides the few local stories it may run. I don't even read or look at the thing that gets tossed into my driveway every Monday except to toss it in the recycling bin.

The biggest joke about the N-D online is their Jobs link, instead of displaying the classifieds that are in the paper that day it redirects to Yahoo HotJobs, gimme a break. Just another sales ploy they use, similar to not posting of what little article content they do provide until that mornings edition is out.

[Ang]

I agree about the jobs thing. If I want to use Yahoo, I'll use it. I want to see what jobs are available in 'City but the online N-D doesn't tell me. Bummer.

[southyards]

Here is a link to view job offerings in LaPorte County.

http://www.job-search-engine.com/location/...-county/?page=7

[lighter]

A friend of a friend told me their's a group on face book that is named "the LaPorte Hearld Argus Survivor's asssociation.' Heres the link, although you have to be invited...

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=9307480775


i think thats pretty telling on the mismaagement at the LaPorte papper. And those managgers are now in charge at the N-Dispatch. i think theworkers at the news-dispatch are probabably suffering a lot under the top bosses there. Youd think the corpoprate owners (paxton) would fire those at top if they wanted imporvments instead of downfall of a papper.

[Tim]

i think thats pretty telling on the mismaagement at the LaPorte papper. And those managgers are now in charge at the N-Dispatch. i think theworkers at the news-dispatch are probabably suffering a lot under the top bosses there. Youd think the corpoprate owners (paxton) would fire those at top if they wanted imporvments instead of downfall of a papper.

Deb?

[Ang]

Deb?

[Tom Burns]

Audit Bureau of Circulation (official newspaper circulation published by newspaper industry):

ND daily 2004 11544, 2009 9172, down 20.5% most of which was in last two years. Sunday also down about same.

HA same period down 23.7%.

[Tom Burns]

Audit Bureau of Circulation (official newspaper circulation published by newspaper industry):

ND daily 2004 11544, 2009 9172, down 20.5% most of which was in last two years. Sunday also down about same.

HA same period down 23.7%.

This is not to pick upon the local newspapers. We see the same trends in multiple markets. As circulation drops, veteran reporters are "declared redundant," to use the wonderful British phrase, which leads to more circulation decline. As an example in another market a long time civic/political leader died Monday, and as of Wednesday afternoon the local paper has yet to discover that even though the funeral director sent an obit which was fairly complete. He had donated the land for the new fire station/police station, had been part of the construction of a new office building/medical complex and had served on the city council and many other boards over a 50 plus year period. Yet their current staff is running around with video cams and playing multi-media specialists. Their current circulation is less than 9,000, a figure which cannot be expected to sustain a daily newspaper.

[Southsider2k12]

This is not to pick upon the local newspapers. We see the same trends in multiple markets. As circulation drops, veteran reporters are "declared redundant," to use the wonderful British phrase, which leads to more circulation decline. As an example in another market a long time civic/political leader died Monday, and as of Wednesday afternoon the local paper has yet to discover that even though the funeral director sent an obit which was fairly complete. He had donated the land for the new fire station/police station, had been part of the construction of a new office building/medical complex and had served on the city council and many other boards over a 50 plus year period. Yet their current staff is running around with video cams and playing multi-media specialists. Their current circulation is less than 9,000, a figure which cannot be expected to sustain a daily newspaper.

I'll go as far as to bet that the Chicago Sun Times chart looks pretty similar in shape to the ND's. It is an overall trend everywhere. People are suffering, and the newspaper is an easy cost to cut, especially with the trend of instant news on-line and on TV.

We will see the Argus-Dispatch, or whatever they call it, sooner, versus later.

[Tom Burns]

I'll go as far as to bet that the Chicago Sun Times chart looks pretty similar in shape to the ND's. It is an overall trend everywhere. People are suffering, and the newspaper is an easy cost to cut, especially with the trend of instant news on-line and on TV.

We will see the Argus-Dispatch, or whatever they call it, sooner, versus later.

From the Chicago region news service to which we subscribe:

>>Union Rejects "Sun-Times" Takeover Concessions

(Chicago, IL) -- Members of the Chicago Newspaper Guild have rejected major concessions outlined in the take over of the bankrupt Sun-Times Media Group. The concessions were called "an absolute prerequisite" for a proposed 25-million-dollar bid by Chicago financier Jim Tyree. In a statement yesterday (Tuesday), union officials said the concessions "gut" the contracts of Sun-Times employees and takes away most protective rights. The media group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 31st.

[Southsider2k12]

Interesting because it is a similar market

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-...0,6285962.story

Merrillville, Ind., newspaper switching to tabloid

Associated Press

8:43 a.m. CDT, September 4, 2009


MERRILLVILLE, Ind. - The Post-Tribune of Merrillville will convert to a smaller, tabloid format of newspaper beginning next month.

While the paper will change to the more portable, compact size, executives say they will continue to focus its coverage on local news and sports. The change will be effective Oct 5.

The paper publishes seven days a week and serves several counties in northwestern Indiana.

The Post-Tribune's parent company is the Sun-Times News Group, the operating subsidiary of Chicago-based Sun-Times Media Group Inc. that is in bankruptcy reorganization.

[Tim]

Interesting because it is a similar market

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-...0,6285962.story

Several counties?