painful paper cuts
An anonymous staffer told Wayne Garcia that the Tribune news folks are walking on eggshells:
[Janet] Weaver told the newsroom that January was a bad month, revenue-wise, and that she and the paper’s publisher would be talking turkey on how that will impact editorial operations, which already has approximately 30 unfilled positions in the newsroom.
And it’s not just the Tribune. The St. Pete Times is looking at downsizing, and Garcia’s own weekly says ad revenues are slow.
We agree with Garcia when he says: “The developments… are sad to see. Fewer reporters means less news, less holding government accountable, fewer chances for diversity in coverage.”
There is no doubt in my mind that local news is important, and that we need those deep pockets to underwrite those great reporters who dig up hidden abuses in government and business.
Here is the question: How do they stop the bleeding?
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February 20th, 2007 at 8:13 am
A couple points.
Yes, profits are way down. Undeniable. A walk through Media General’s quarterly reports will tell you all you need to know. This is not a Tampa-specific phenomenon.
Is there a hiring freeze? Depends on how you define it. Garcia writes that there are 30 unfilled jobs but that the Trib is advertising for a features job. What does that tell you? The Trib is still hiring. Those unfilled jobs? Many of them have been unfilled for a very, very long time, long before Weaver took the reins. Garcia reports it as if it was part of a new phenomenon. Someone else would see it as a continuation of business as usual. Once you understand that staffing will never go back on the print side to the bloated numbers during the so-called “glory years” you can see it in a different light. Doesn’t make it better. Might qualify as “spin control.” Whatever.
(Question for Wayne: Why is it that when the Trib does it, the jobs are “unfilled” but that when the Times does it, it’s through “attrition”?)
You asked, “How do you stop the bleeding?” You change to meet what you think your market wants. Hence TBT. Hence TBO.com. You evolve. If the market doesn’t follow you, you change again.
Hell, even Sticks of Fire changed its original model, Tommy.
February 20th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
anonymous: i doubt that tbo.com is ‘what the market wants.’
as newspapers ramp up their digital sides, the trib has slid backwards. its website has gotten worse over time, way worse. just the opposite of what should be happening. does anyone at the trib even look at that thing? it hurts the eyes and brain. its crammed with ads, and the appearance hides whatever content may be lurking.
with one or two exceptions, the blogs offered by both papers suck. you can tell that by the fact that no one, i mean no one, ever writes back to the trib bloggers. the times does get a few responses. not many. certainly nothing like the leaders in the field: washpost, nyt etc.
February 20th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
TBT is news lite. TBO.com is just a disgrace. They’re still trying to steer you towards messy newsprint by withholding more interesting content.
Or is there more interesting content? In TBT we get hiccups. On TBO.com we get ridiculous page-loading times and miss-matched links.
As usual, it’s up to us to read about 20 different sources and come up with our own truths.
February 20th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
A pertinent post on the Times breaking news blog:
http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2007/02/citrus_times_to.html
The St. Petersburg Times announced Tuesday it will no longer publish the Citrus Times after April 2.
The company said it would much rather focus on growth prospects closer to home at the center of the Tampa Bay region. The remarkable growth of tbt*/Tampa Bay Times is one example.
The Times will continue to deliver to Citrus County despite the exclusion of the Citrus Times.
February 22nd, 2007 at 8:48 am
The future of these papers is digital. Complaining about ad clutter, while a legitimate concern, is counterproductive. Where on earth do you think they get their money from? Unless these papers seriously ramp up their online efforts and make a play at being actual destinations, they are done for. Don’t expect the old guard news peeps to realize this any time soon. Change freaks people out.