Not surprisingly, daily circulation of the top 395 newspapers feel 7.1 percent, according to Audit Bureau of Circulation, which monitors circulation figures for newspapers. Not sure if that 395 includes the late Rocky Mountain News, the online-only Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, which have cut back their midweek production runs.
Both the Boston Globe and Boston Herald lost circulation. I would bet that the Globe will find a big drop this quarter, as a result of the saber rattling by the NY Times Co. that it may close down the Globe. Nothing like announcing troubles at a print property to exacerbate worries among advertisers and subscribers.
That would explain the significant drop in circulation at the Philadelphia Inquirer (-13.8%) which filed for bankruptcy protection or the San Francisco Chronicle (-15.7%), which may shift to online-only mode.
Not sure what explains the drop (-7.5%) at USA Today. Since so many people get USA Today free when traveling, I assume the circ drop is the result of the drop in hotel stays.
Balancing the drop in circ. is the increase in people reading newspaper websites. With all the attention to the fact you can get the same news, faster and free plus have less ink on your hands, it makes sense that people would switch to online versions.
Looks like the Detroit Free Press may be finally living up to its name. As long as it drops the "Press" part of its name. You can check out the grid here: https://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Third_Party_Graphic/2009/04/28/28audit-pgB11__1240910560_7755.gif.
Showing posts with label Detroit News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Detroit News. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Ann Arbor News to Shift to Online-Only
Sounds a bit like that old song by Queen: Another One Bites the Dust.
174-year-old Ann Arbor News will shift to online-only model in July. I wonder why, now that decision has been made, the publisher, Advance Publications, is waiting that long to switch over.
The shift leaves the college town with no regular newspaper. I'm sure the college paper will step up as will the local alternative weekly.
Which leads to an important question: when mainstream media moves to online-only, where does that leave alternative weeklies? What are they alternatives to now in an online-only world? I guess as a produced-on-paper publication, alternative weeklies serve as the alternative to online-only. But it's not much.
Meanwhile, Advance owns other papers in Michigan, and they are apparently all shifting to online-only. That leaves a gap for any organization looking to reach suburban Michigan residents. Of course there will still be the online-only websites, but who knows if local readers will log onto www.annarbornews.com or will click to larger market papers, like the Detroit Free-Press and Detroit News, both of whom will shortly stop printing a full week's paper.
The shift to online-only is gathering steam (an outdated reference, of course). The problem is that no one has proven that online-only really works -- for publishers, who are giving up 90% of their revenue stream; for advertisers, and for readers.
As they used to say on radio drama, stay tuned tomorrow...
174-year-old Ann Arbor News will shift to online-only model in July. I wonder why, now that decision has been made, the publisher, Advance Publications, is waiting that long to switch over.
The shift leaves the college town with no regular newspaper. I'm sure the college paper will step up as will the local alternative weekly.
Which leads to an important question: when mainstream media moves to online-only, where does that leave alternative weeklies? What are they alternatives to now in an online-only world? I guess as a produced-on-paper publication, alternative weeklies serve as the alternative to online-only. But it's not much.
Meanwhile, Advance owns other papers in Michigan, and they are apparently all shifting to online-only. That leaves a gap for any organization looking to reach suburban Michigan residents. Of course there will still be the online-only websites, but who knows if local readers will log onto www.annarbornews.com or will click to larger market papers, like the Detroit Free-Press and Detroit News, both of whom will shortly stop printing a full week's paper.
The shift to online-only is gathering steam (an outdated reference, of course). The problem is that no one has proven that online-only really works -- for publishers, who are giving up 90% of their revenue stream; for advertisers, and for readers.
As they used to say on radio drama, stay tuned tomorrow...
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Time Magazine: "The 10 Most Endangered Newspapers in America"
Time Magazine lists what it calls the "Top 10 Most Endangered Newspapers in America." For readers of this blog, the newspapers that made the list are not surprising.
The list includes a lot of two-market newspapers -- Boston Globe, Philly Daily News, Detroit News, San Francisco Chronicle -- with two single market papers, which is a problem. The Miami Herald and Cleveland Plain Dealer, both of which are well regarded for producing meaningful journalism.
The article predicts the Miami Herald will shift to online-only, with English and Spanish websites. The Plain Dealer may shut or go online-only, probably the former. That would leave Cleveland with no daily paper, which I think is a real problem.
Meanwhile, Time Magazine has an interesting article, "The Race for a Better Read." Veteran tech journalist Josh Quittner suggests that the salvation could be through electronic devices such as a Kindle to be able to charge for content. I think it's an interesting but flawed idea because I think 1) content will still be available on the Internet; and 2) the iTunes analogy is flawed because people like to listen to music again and again whereas news articles are more disposable.
Still, I'm interested in any idea that goes beyond the same-old since that hasn't helped print newspapers.
The list includes a lot of two-market newspapers -- Boston Globe, Philly Daily News, Detroit News, San Francisco Chronicle -- with two single market papers, which is a problem. The Miami Herald and Cleveland Plain Dealer, both of which are well regarded for producing meaningful journalism.
The article predicts the Miami Herald will shift to online-only, with English and Spanish websites. The Plain Dealer may shut or go online-only, probably the former. That would leave Cleveland with no daily paper, which I think is a real problem.
Meanwhile, Time Magazine has an interesting article, "The Race for a Better Read." Veteran tech journalist Josh Quittner suggests that the salvation could be through electronic devices such as a Kindle to be able to charge for content. I think it's an interesting but flawed idea because I think 1) content will still be available on the Internet; and 2) the iTunes analogy is flawed because people like to listen to music again and again whereas news articles are more disposable.
Still, I'm interested in any idea that goes beyond the same-old since that hasn't helped print newspapers.
Monday, December 15, 2008
More Newspaper Cutbacks; Expect a Dozen to Be Online-Only in 2009
To the list of online-only newspapers and magazines that started with the Christian Science Monitor and U.S. News & World Report, add the Kentucky Post, and, more significantly both of Detroit's daily papers, the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News.
According to the New York Times' Richard Perez-Pena, "Detroit Newspapers May Sharply Cut Home Delivery; the wounds of both a troubled industry and a hard-hit region," both Detroit dailies will cutback the number of days they deliver their papers to home subscribers -- perhaps as much as three days each week, including Sunday, one of the most profitable days for a home delivery. The papers will also reduce the number of pages they publish that will be available at newsstands.
At this rate, we expect that in 2009, there will be a dozen newspapers that will have transitioned to an online-only business model.
According to the New York Times' Richard Perez-Pena, "Detroit Newspapers May Sharply Cut Home Delivery; the wounds of both a troubled industry and a hard-hit region," both Detroit dailies will cutback the number of days they deliver their papers to home subscribers -- perhaps as much as three days each week, including Sunday, one of the most profitable days for a home delivery. The papers will also reduce the number of pages they publish that will be available at newsstands.
At this rate, we expect that in 2009, there will be a dozen newspapers that will have transitioned to an online-only business model.
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