Be warned- this is a venting post. I am venting because every day I hear how bad the newspaper industry is. But, almost everyday, I hear about or have an experience with a newspaper that makes my blood boil. I have written about this before, and I continue to be surprised at their business sense.
From a Subscriber's Perspective:
I admit, I subscribe to the newspaper. But, if I were not a media planner/buyer, it would be one of the first things I would cut from my household budget. As a person in their 30's, I am bored with the paper. Outside of the front page, and a section here or there, the only thing I enjoy about the paper is the Target insert that comes every Sunday. I keep thinking newspapers will get the hint- make their content and formats change with the times. But, it is essentially the exact same paper my mom and dad were reading 30 years ago.
And, on top of that, every year my rates go up. So, I pay more for less. Or, at least for less appealing content.
From an Advertiser's Perspective:
This is where I have the biggest issue. Currently, I am drowning in media buying and negotiations. And, all across the board, I am seeing media outlets dropping rates to be in line with the current economic situation. Not only do they have more inventory open, but they realize that their clients are hurting too. And, without lower rates and more innovative ideas, those clients will leave, leaving more open inventory, and thus, the domino affect.
But, not so with newsprint. I can cite instant after instant where long-time advertisers have been pushed into signing more expensive and in-flexible contracts. Today, I even had a situation in which a paper refused to honor a previously quoted price because they made a mistake on their side..... a simple $100 mistake.
If they are not able to cut $100 off of an ad for someone that has been running newsprint for 50 years, then why should we be willing to sign away such large chunks of our budget when all we get is a shrinking audience?
Obviously, not all of my experiences are like this, but I am tired of the doom and gloom from the newspaper industry, when I see very little innovation, flexibility, or customer service from them.
1 comment:
It is frustrating to see this resource implode and take no other action than more of the same. Our local major newspaper is one of the worst offenders. They cut and cut until they leave themselves an empty shell - nothing more than a bunch of repeated AP stories I can get anywhere. Their online presence is awful - where their solution seems to be "more blinky ads and mouseovers!" Recently, they did a piece related to a local zip code and the high murder rate within that received a lot of publicity. Local, in depth, investigative journalism - there's a novel idea ...now, pair that with a greatly overhauled delivery system.
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