newspaper wars continue
Seminole HeightsOn Seminole Heights Blog, Sticks and the Weekly Planet, much has been written about the newspaper wars between the Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times.
Monday night on PBS’ News Hour there was a story about Free Newspapers Changing the Media Landscape. Several major newspapers throughout the county are starting these free dailies to generate readership among the unread.
“Publishers across the country are trying to capture the disaffected or non-reader by producing free papers, supported solely by advertising: From the Metro Corporation papers in Philadelphia, Boston, and New York, to the Red Eye in Chicago, to Quick in Dallas, to the Colorado Daily in Boulder, to the Denver Daily News to Today’s Local News in San Diego, to the San Francisco Examiner, and others”
“And if they succeed as a business model, they have the potential of turning the traditional notion of paying for newspapers on its head. “
The younger generation does not read the newspaper. Since the paper is free, is in a easy to read tabloid format, and many times is a Cliff Notes version of the news, it appeals to that younger crowd who does not ordinarily read the paper. “People who use the Internet have been conditioned not to pay for what they get.” Although the papers are self supporintg via ads, there is some hope of crossover readership to the main paper.
This is occuring with TBT (Tampa Bay Times). The whole flavor and slightly irreverant tone is geared to appeal to that younger crowd.
So where is the Tribune in this? Rumors suggest they will start their own free daily. Since they are second out of the gate will this effort flop? Previously they tried to come out with a version of the Weekly Planet and it tanked. Being a mainline stuffy paper they simply could not get hip.
However that was then, with different leadership. Under Janet Weaver, the Trib has made several positive changes, including a greater community focus (the Central Tampa section debacle aside). Can Janet be up to this challenge and create a competitive daily? Let’s see.
In any case we are the beneficiaries, as we will have more choices.
However, where will the Weekly Planet fit in all of this? Will they lose readers and advertisers to the two dailies? Or will their history as an “alternative” paper help to maintain current readership levels?
Loading ...
May 31st, 2006 at 3:14 pm
Just like blogs, we need everyone to survive. ONly good could come of this. As a reader of all the daily rags, I can’t wait.
May 31st, 2006 at 5:08 pm
I know bamaroller will jump all over me but I think the tabloid format is fun and I like TBT. I mean when the Nazi’s killed that guy up in pasoc a couple of months ago the papers lamented about the real tradgedy but tbt was the only one out there making fun of the nazi’s. I mean nobody that makes fun of nazi’s can really be bad can they ? If I want serious news I can read the other guys but if nothing else a free paper with large screaming headlines is fun to see. And where are they getting these kids that jump in front of traffic downtown? I guess they figured the alcoholics on a day pass from the halfway house that the times and the trib use to distribute there papers aren’t really very approachable.
June 1st, 2006 at 9:24 am
I’m sayin’. The big rags are too stodgy and full of themselves and their purported “journalistic integrity” to be any fun (and yes, some of those street-paper guys are ‘way scary).
June 1st, 2006 at 10:56 am
Where are these rumors of a Tampa Trib daily tab actually coming from?
June 1st, 2006 at 11:40 am
word at the trib is that janet “cheers” weaver is on her way out…..better get on that….