The Times Picayune, a seven day a week newspaper serving New Orleans has announced it is cutting four days of print editions to publish on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, the most valuable for advertisers.
According to USA Today, the average paid circulation of The Times Picayune newspaper was 133,557. I mention this to provide context to readers here. At 133,557 the publishing company made a call to cut print from seven to three days a week based an assessment of costs versus revenue.
Here’s part of the announcement (Matthews is thePresident of the company to manage the print and online content):
Mathews said the three days of publication were chosen in part so that the print edition is distributed across the entire week, but also because Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays have proved to be the most valuable days for the newspaper’s advertisers.
Mathews said the changes coming in the fall were necessitated by revolutionary upheaval in the newspaper industry. These changes made it essential for the news-gathering operation to evolve and become digitally focused, while continuing to maintain a strong team of professional journalists who have a command of the New Orleans metro area.
They are creating a new corporate structure to manage the combined online and print business. A bunch of people working on the existing newspaper will lose their jobs as you’d expect.
Here is another interesting quote from the announcement:
“We did not make this decision lightly,” said Mathews. “It’s the toughest part of transitioning from a print-centric to a digitally-focused company. Our employees make us the company we are today, and we will work hard during this transition to treat all of them with the utmost respect for the hard work and dedication they’ve shown over the years.”
Three smaller daily newspapers from the same family company are also cutting days published. The Birmingham News, the Press-Register in Mobile and The Huntsville Times will switch to publishing three days a week and increase focus on online access to news.
These newspapers are not the first nor will they be the last to reduce the days of the week they publish print editions.
I thought carefully before posting this news here because in then past when I have written about similar events some have commented that I am talking newspapers down and others have said it won’t happen here. There has been little discussion about how we should / could respond.
The changes we are seeing in newspaper print days in thenUS will come here. It is not a matter of it but when. I don’t see this as bad for newsagents. rather I see it as a business planning opportunity.
An article in today’s SMH talks about 400 job loses at News Ltd. Just the start more to follow I think
The important thing to remember is that these kinds of going on’s are not because people are less interested in the news. They are more interested than ever. But the medium’s in which people are consuming are changing and if old school businesses don’t change, they will die. Newsagents need to do the same, change with the times, or die.
Here here Robert. A mantra often repeated here.
I am not concerned if a publisher cuts days from their current publishing days. Smart newsagents are adjusting their businesses now to cope with marketplace changes.
Same old wagon you got there Mark,
If what you are saying is true why don’t they just shut the print editions down and go digital… because they make money
I read somewhere that 30% of advertisers were very unhappy with google advertising, and now we have W Buffett buying regional newspapers, It’s not such a rosy picture as some might think for digital news, As I tell people in a regional small town if you don’t read the local paper you know jack all about whats going on and that can be v important to you at times.
Fred there is no doubt that people are engaging less with print when it comes to news. The latest audit results tell you that.
Buffett has invested in local newspapers. They are different to capital city newspapers.
Everyone is entitled to a view. Let’s check in in 2015 and then again in 2017.
Homer Simpson still reads the newspaper and he’s no dummy.
When we purchase this business we sold around 220 Herald Suns on a Saturday. Now we often send some back out of only 100. I a town that has a strong growing population there is only one conclusion to draw from this, keep in mind our magazine sales are growing at around 25%. is is why I see our business as a magazine agent that sells some newspapers as opposed to a newsagent. The future is clear and coming quicker than most are prepared for.
it is already happening. APN axed two Gold Coast newspapers and reduced two others including the Coffs Harbour Advocate. The Advocate was printed until November last year 6 days per week, now only two and the newsagents have lost a serious number of regular customers.
http://print21.com.au/digital-push-kills-two-queensland-newspapers/34699
check out this link for more information
Story in todays Australian claiming Fairfax are considering cancelling monday to friday papers altogethor
Roger, I wrote about this on Nov. 23, 2011: http://www.newsagencyblog.com.au/2011/11/23/apn-closes-two-regional-newspapers/
Shayne
Your post nearly knocked me off my chair. If they do in my view that is a bad business decision and they should just close shop today. I am off the view that Australian society is not ready for this, I believe the digital platform foundation still needs to be set before majors do this kind of thing.
The court of Public Opinion will decide I guess unless they throw in an ipad, it will buy a lot of people off.
I have no intention of using paywalls, so I guess I might not be the only one. I am wondering like everyone else is I guess what the future holds in Newspaper print.
Derek, the digital foundation is already there. The public have spoken and their opinion is in. People every day, in Australia and the world over, are consuming more news via there PC, Phone, iPad, iPod or some other device than they are via dead tree newspapers. The future is now. Don’t wait for some magic device from Apple, Sony or even Fairfax or NewsLtd to replace newspapers, that everyone will have, that’s not going to happen. The newspaper has been replaced with 50 devices. The challenge is the dispersion.
Robert
I do not disagree that digital Newspapers are here and what Newsagents should be doing (for the past 5 years). What I mean regarding the foundation is, I can source my news FREE from various sources digitally.
Their model is still very unstable, sure lets say 50% of people are using digital to source news, how many are using these two publications?
This is not what Fairfax or News Ltd would want. The question is why Pay for something when you can get it for free?
If News & Fairfax want a share of the digital pay for news, they must be able to also compete with other digital service providers. Their digital foundation is only made of sand at the moment. That is only my view. I think you do have a valid point regarding dispersion.
Ps; I still like a physical paper.