TheGraphicOnline

Don’t you hate people who say, “I told you so”? Well, you’re about to get an I-told-you-so article, although I don’t know anyone who reads this blog except Porter Miller. Just charge it up to something I want to get off my chest, or what’s left of it.

A few days ago, Dennis Ryerson, the respected editor of The Indianapolis Star, started his regular column: “Last week I wrote about the frustrations of some readers who pay for the print newspaper and get the same information others receive online, for free.” Wow! The REVELATION! Then he added a mea culpa by promising that the Star “would do some new things to reinforce the value of print.”

Here’s the I-told-you-so part. For maybe two years I’ve been hectoring my journalism brothers with the question: “How can you expect people to pay for a subscription when you are giving all the same news away free on your web site?” More than a year ago I wrote in this space about the decline in the fortunes of the daily newspaper: “Facing the problem of maintaining their own web sites in spite of small (and declining) ad revenue from these sites, what do they do? Their answer is to push readers even harder into the web sites. It ‘s like the old definition of a zealot – one who, when he loses sight of his goal, redoubles his effort.”

Later, I offered a modest proposal “for the survival of daily newspapers in cities of small and medium size (about like Richmond),” as follows:

1) Keep printing your hometown newspaper as if you believed in its future.

2)

Set up two web sites (A & B). Site A has only headlines and promotional items telling viewers how they can get ALL the news stories and special features in the newspapers, plus coupons, etc. Site B has everything found in the printed newspapers.

3) Sell both print and web sites as a package. Web site A is free. With Web Site B subscribers get both printed paper and the same thing on the web for a single price – take your choice.

Did anyone take this unsolicited advice? Of course not. Why should they? But my colleagues did jump on me for “talking negatively” about newspapers.

I did have company. In another blog here I told about a fellow named Walter Hussman Jr., publisher of the daily newspaper in Little Rock, Ark., who is doing just that. By combining the print and web price, he is giving his readers a choice of using either one. Most of his readers choose the print paper, and his is the only newspaper in his area that has increased the number of subscribers. Do other publishers listen to him? Nope. They think he is crazy.

Let’s return to Editor Ryerson over at Indy and let him write the rest of this blog. He writes: “We want to send a clear message to those who pay for The Star that we appreciate their readership and will give them something in today’s paper that they cannot get on the Web.” Now there’s a nice thought. He follows with several comments from his readers. Here’s one:

“The thought of having to sit in front of a computer to read my morning paper is almost depressing to me as I’m sure it is to a lot of people.” Here’s another:

“Why don’t you write short articles online that you offer for free? If someone wants the full article they can read it in the paper… Readers who buy the traditional paper would receive a membership number that will also allow them full access online.” Here’s another:

“Some people don’t have access to a computer all day long, so going online is a one-time thing. You can leave the newspaper sitting all day and come back to it when you want to, not having to find where you stopped before…You can mark an article for your spouse to read. There’s just that ‘feel’ about the paper like a book. There’s no good ‘feel’ to a mouse or a keyboard.” And finally:

“The point is that there’s a lot of value to the paper version and some people will continue to pay for it until it disappears.”

As he always does, Ryerson closes his column saying, “I appreciate all of your comments.” And we appreciate your comments too, editor Ryerson. Can we add that confession is good for the soul? Or just be quiet for awhile?

–Vic Jose

Vic Jose :: Mar.28.2010 :: Uncategorized ::

Trackback URI | Subscribe to the comments through RSS Feed