Newspapers on the ropes

[Bob]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/business/media/27audit.html?_r=1&hp U.S. Newspaper Circulation Falls 10%



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By RICHARD PEREZ-PENA
Published: October 26, 2009

Newspaper sales moved sharply lower this year, falling about 10 percent in the six months ended Sept. 30 compared to the same period last year, according to figures released on Monday by the Audit Bureau of Circulation.

Circulation has been sliding since the early 1990s, but in the last few years, the pace of the decline has accelerated sharply. In the same six-month period a year ago, circulation fell at roughly half the rate. The decline has been attributed to the continued migration of readers to the Web, the deep recession, newspapers intentionally shedding unprofitable circulation and, in some cases, waning reader interest as budget cuts reduce the content of the papers.

As it had warned, circulation for USA Today suffered a steep drop, in part a reflection of the slump in the hotel and airline industries, which distribute most of that paper?s copies. USA Today, printed only on weekdays, fell from almost 2.3 million to 1.9 million, a 17.1 percent drop, losing the top spot in weekday circulation for the first time since the 1990s to The Wall Street Journal.

 

[Bob]

Report: Majority Of Newspapers Now Purchased By Kidnappers To Prove Date | The Onion - America's Finest News Source * Home

Business
Report: Majority Of Newspapers Now Purchased By Kidnappers To Prove Date

October 14, 2009 | Issue 45?42
Newspapers

Print journalism owes its solvency to the loyal hostage-takers still paying cover price.
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o
NEW YORK?According to a report published this week in American Journalism Review, 93 percent of all newspaper sales can now be attributed to kidnappers seeking to prove the day's date in filmed ransom demands.

"Although the vast majority of Americans now get their news from the Internet or television, a small but loyal criminal element still purchases newspapers at a steady rate," study author and Columbia journalism professor Linus Ridell said. "The sober authority of the printed word continues to hold value for those attempting to extort large sums of money from wealthy people who wish to see their loved ones alive again, and not chopped into pieces and left in steamer trunks on their doorsteps."

"These are sick, sick individuals," Ridell added. "God bless them for saving our industry."
Enlarge Image Ransom

A resourceful captor pieces together a ransom note after finishing the Style section.

According to a source who wished to remain anonymous, there is an ineffable quality to the printed page that kidnappers cannot get from its digital counterpart. Though there are other methods for proving the date of grainy, home-made videos, the source said that newspapers add a certain gravitas to abductions that news websites do not.

"Holding a laptop next to a kid's head while blood is streaming from his nose just isn't the same," said the source, adding that printed materials remove any uncertainty about dates being altered with Photoshop or other digital manipulation software. "There's just something about the feel of newsprint and the smell of ink coupled with the mildew odor of a windowless basement that can't be replaced. Ultimately, I think newspapers make the whole thing more tangible and concrete for everyone involved."

"They're also great for wrapping up a severed ear and mailing it to the family when they don't come through with the cash fast enough," the source continued. "And I always enjoy reading For Better Or For Worse."

In an effort to cater to their sole remaining customer base, many newspapers have started to run features and advertising targeted at the ruthless abductors. The Washington Post recently sold a two-page advertorial to a popular ski-mask manufacturer, while The New York Times now offers a real estate section dedicated primarily to abandoned warehouses, remote wooden sheds, and converted industrial meat freezers hidden from prying eyes.

In addition to buoying the failing newspapers, criminals are also providing a revenue stream to struggling magazines and other weekly periodicals, the report said. While most Americans have cut back on specialty publications, kidnappers still find them useful for making cut-and-paste ransom letters and death threats.

Although newsstand sales remain steady, neither newspapers nor magazines have seen much growth in terms of subscriptions, as their last existing consumers are extremely reluctant to provide permanent addresses.

"In order to reflect the purchasing habits of our most loyal customers, we will work with our distributors to ensure that these people can get newspapers at all hours of the night in inconspicuous, security-camera-free venues," said billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who later offhandedly mentioned that his wife often takes late-evening walks all by herself. "As long as violent sociopaths continue to abduct those closest to affluent people for huge cash ransoms, the long and storied tradition of the American newspaper will be preserved."

The newspaper industry joins several other sectors that are supported solely by kidnappers, including, most notably, voice-modulator manufacturing and sales.

 

[kkddbb]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/business/media/27audit.html?_r=1&hp U.S. Newspaper Circulation Falls 10%



Article Tools Sponsored By
By RICHARD PEREZ-PENA
Published: October 26, 2009

Newspaper sales moved sharply lower this year, falling about 10 percent in the six months ended Sept. 30 compared to the same period last year, according to figures released on Monday by the Audit Bureau of Circulation.

Circulation has been sliding since the early 1990s, but in the last few years, the pace of the decline has accelerated sharply. In the same six-month period a year ago, circulation fell at roughly half the rate. The decline has been attributed to the continued migration of readers to the Web, the deep recession, newspapers intentionally shedding unprofitable circulation and, in some cases, waning reader interest as budget cuts reduce the content of the papers.

As it had warned, circulation for USA Today suffered a steep drop, in part a reflection of the slump in the hotel and airline industries, which distribute most of that paper?s copies. USA Today, printed only on weekdays, fell from almost 2.3 million to 1.9 million, a 17.1 percent drop, losing the top spot in weekday circulation for the first time since the 1990s to The Wall Street Journal.

Notice how the fact that readers cant trust papers such as the NYT and USA today arent on the list as the cause of the decline. This article is proof in itself why people have these thoughts.

The folks dont trust most papers, yet the Wall Street Journal is on the incline.... something to be said about that

 

[Jdarg]

I don't know how other small community papers are doing, since I can only speak about the DeFuniak Herald/Beach Breeze, but circulation is increasing. I am thinking it is because the paper only publishes stories that are local to Walton County and/or affects locals and people with interests here. All news is reported and written by local staff reporters.

Are big papers losing readers because the same national/international content can be found online, and readers are looking to smaller local publications for local news and events that can't be found on the cnn.coms? I know that the Courier Journal in Louisville got smaller in size (I call it "cute" now) and circulation numbers as their online presence got bigger and bigger and junkier with popup ads.

It seems all national and regional news can be found on multiple sources now, but truly local news is found in local newspapers and websites, and people are going to multiple sources.

 

[scooterbug44]

I think that is it - I stopped reading the Sun because it was just AP filler I read days earlier, but have really been enjoying the Herald/Beach Breeze and it's coverage of local events.

 

[Jdarg]

Small community papers seem to be on the rise in most bigger cities- it seems everywhere we have been in the last few years has a "hyper local" paper to pick up with only local news and events. (I believe I should thank Kurt for teaching me the phrase "hyper local"- I had never heard it until he mentioned it- it is so spot on descriptive).

Some of these hyper local papers are really cool and fun and really tell you more about the communities than the big publications. When traveling, alsways look for them for the "real" scoop on happenings, dining, events, and local treasures (both human and places).

 

[poppy]

Notice how the fact that readers cant trust papers such as the NYT and USA today arent on the list as the cause of the decline. This article is proof in itself why people have these thoughts.

The folks dont trust most papers, yet the Wall Street Journal is on the incline.... something to be said about that

Would you please supply a source for this "fact" of yours because I can't find it. I did find these "facts" in the Wall Street Journal - -

The report also confirmed that The Wall Street Journal overtook USA Today as the country's largest newspaper by weekday circulation. The Journal sold an average of 2.02 million copies and online subscriptions during the six months ended Sept. 30, a 0.6% increase from the same period in 2008. Gannett Co.'s USA Today's average weekday circulation slipped 17% to 1.9 million during the same period.
News Corp. owns The Wall Street Journal.
USA Today had been the biggest paper in the U.S. for a decade. The slump in business travel meant fewer copies of USA Today were sold to hotels, one of the paper's historic strengths. USA Today has said it expects the paper's circulation to rebound as the economy does.
The Journal also was helped by sales of paid online subscriptions, which few newspapers offer.
Newspaper circulation has shrunk slowly for decades, but the pace has picked up. More readers are turning to the Web and many papers are intentionally cutting back on copies sold at a steep discount or delivered to people who live in remote areas. Increased prices for copies is also a factor.

 

[kkddbb]

Would you please supply a source for this "fact" of yours because I can't find it. I did find these "facts" in the Wall Street Journal - -

poppy, the nyt is exposed almost daily and has been for decades for not only their bias, but irresponsibility and flat out fabrictions. is this really news?

 

[beachmouse]

poppy, the nyt is exposed almost daily and has been for decades for not only their bias, but irresponsibility and flat out fabrictions. is this really news?

Citation please from at least three sources seen to be politically neutral.

As for local papers, the Bay Beacon seems to continue to do well in terms of story quality and the number of advertisers they have. I feel like we get more truly local news from them than we do from a week's worth of NWF Daily News editions. (Daily News isn't even trying anymore. Half their 'local news' stories these days are reprints of stories from their Milton and PCB papers.)

 

[Alicia Leonard]

Citation please from at least three sources seen to be politically neutral.

As for local papers, the Bay Beacon seems to continue to do well in terms of story quality and the number of advertisers they have. I feel like we get more truly local news from them than we do from a week's worth of NWF Daily News editions. (Daily News isn't even trying anymore. Half their 'local news' stories these days are reprints of stories from their Milton and PCB papers.)

I have to give the Bay Beacon a shout out for their work. Working in a community newspaper, I understand some of the issues they are facing, but while my house was being worked on, I stayed in Niceville and I have gotten to cover some of the same event's as their reporters and read their copy every week. They are doing really good work for the people of Niceville and Bluewater Bay. I know the Herald-Beach Breeze strives to keep our community informed in an independent manner, here in Walton, and the Beacon does the same for their community.