Glad to see this article and the link to the Nieman study. I have to say any company that thinks they are going to run a newspaper enterprise with a 50 percent profit margin or whatever is deluding itself. This has me more convinced than ever that non-profit is the way to go with proper community journalism. As for financially supporting journalism, if I'm going to do that, I'd prefer my dollars go to you and/or the Iowa Writer's Collective than Gannett.
As a simple person with rather low expectations I had to cancel my subscription of the Register several years ago through no fault of the Register. It was a circulation problem, delivery not dependable when there was home delivery, then getting it at post office box, no mail delivery in my small town, to postal holiday closures, it was not worth the hassle.
Thanks for the link to Nieman Lab's article. The decline in circulation for Gannett newspapers is very sad, but it came as no surprise. I am not a big proponent of conspiracies, but it is not difficult to think there are lots of people doing their best to kill daily print editions. And yes, I still subscribe to the print edition of the Register.
Thanks Julie. I understand the Cedar Rapids Gazette is still locally owned and striving mightily to remain a good independent paper. But yes, one In most cases omen has to go to outside sources like the one you cited to see what’s really going on with newspapers and chains. I know of one small town where the newspaper ceased publication and the city tried to replicate some of that function in the municipal utilities newsletter. The mayor said it wasn’t the same.
I have missed seeing a Register for years now, it certainly isn't the paper it was when I went to college. The local weeklies have caught the same disease . Murdoch fever is everywhere and death by a thousand cuts appears to be slicing the thoat of the only soild source of revenue for many. At one time the Anamosa Eureka attempted to shore up several of the dying local papers by giving sections to those locals that had simply gone away. The Oxford Mirror and the Wyoming Journal each had a section, small as it was, to keep news alive, and a few more advertisers connected. A series of buy outs has headed the Eureka down the road to Springville where there are still advertisers as the small town collapse folds into the ghost town Gazette for the rest. Taking the the only consistant income away from the weeklies will have about the same effect as Governor Hardings "Babble Proclaimation" did for the foreign language press in the teens. The only thing that will come of this will be the black mold that grows so well in the dark, fascism.
From 2007-2010, we often commented that the Governor’s actions were “managed by the Des Moines Register” since positive publicity was so important to Governor Culver. The handling of film tax credits was an example. There seem to be no repercussions today from limited coverage and an eviscerated opinion staff. Disappointed as I am, I recently gave up my decades~long subscription - more recently in conjunction with my now-deceased husband - over frustration that their system simply could not adjust to recognizing my email address as a subscriber and kept assuming I was trying to access his expired account. Yes, I was getting the print edition, but the constant annoyance at being unable to access “breaking news” plus having access to print at the office did my subscription in. I’m sorry to contribute to the trend. Many people I know gave it up over an algorithm that guessed what any subscriber would be willing to pay. It was frustrating to learn that a friend was being charged less for the same long-time service. I know how desperately we need to keep journalism alive, and am grateful for Iowa Capital Dispatch, Axios Des Moines, the Des Moines Busibess Record and the wonderful writers in your collaborative. I still relish my daily copies of the Wall Street Journal and Sunday New York Times, plus online access to many more. The Poynter Report provides an outstanding synopsis of excellent journalism, which is how I ended up subscribing to the South Florida Sun Sentinel - a surprising source of good information. We’ve been poorly served by Gannett.
Glad to see this article and the link to the Nieman study. I have to say any company that thinks they are going to run a newspaper enterprise with a 50 percent profit margin or whatever is deluding itself. This has me more convinced than ever that non-profit is the way to go with proper community journalism. As for financially supporting journalism, if I'm going to do that, I'd prefer my dollars go to you and/or the Iowa Writer's Collective than Gannett.
As a simple person with rather low expectations I had to cancel my subscription of the Register several years ago through no fault of the Register. It was a circulation problem, delivery not dependable when there was home delivery, then getting it at post office box, no mail delivery in my small town, to postal holiday closures, it was not worth the hassle.
I still miss the paper on which Iowa depended.
Thanks for the link to Nieman Lab's article. The decline in circulation for Gannett newspapers is very sad, but it came as no surprise. I am not a big proponent of conspiracies, but it is not difficult to think there are lots of people doing their best to kill daily print editions. And yes, I still subscribe to the print edition of the Register.
Thanks Julie. I understand the Cedar Rapids Gazette is still locally owned and striving mightily to remain a good independent paper. But yes, one In most cases omen has to go to outside sources like the one you cited to see what’s really going on with newspapers and chains. I know of one small town where the newspaper ceased publication and the city tried to replicate some of that function in the municipal utilities newsletter. The mayor said it wasn’t the same.
I have missed seeing a Register for years now, it certainly isn't the paper it was when I went to college. The local weeklies have caught the same disease . Murdoch fever is everywhere and death by a thousand cuts appears to be slicing the thoat of the only soild source of revenue for many. At one time the Anamosa Eureka attempted to shore up several of the dying local papers by giving sections to those locals that had simply gone away. The Oxford Mirror and the Wyoming Journal each had a section, small as it was, to keep news alive, and a few more advertisers connected. A series of buy outs has headed the Eureka down the road to Springville where there are still advertisers as the small town collapse folds into the ghost town Gazette for the rest. Taking the the only consistant income away from the weeklies will have about the same effect as Governor Hardings "Babble Proclaimation" did for the foreign language press in the teens. The only thing that will come of this will be the black mold that grows so well in the dark, fascism.
From 2007-2010, we often commented that the Governor’s actions were “managed by the Des Moines Register” since positive publicity was so important to Governor Culver. The handling of film tax credits was an example. There seem to be no repercussions today from limited coverage and an eviscerated opinion staff. Disappointed as I am, I recently gave up my decades~long subscription - more recently in conjunction with my now-deceased husband - over frustration that their system simply could not adjust to recognizing my email address as a subscriber and kept assuming I was trying to access his expired account. Yes, I was getting the print edition, but the constant annoyance at being unable to access “breaking news” plus having access to print at the office did my subscription in. I’m sorry to contribute to the trend. Many people I know gave it up over an algorithm that guessed what any subscriber would be willing to pay. It was frustrating to learn that a friend was being charged less for the same long-time service. I know how desperately we need to keep journalism alive, and am grateful for Iowa Capital Dispatch, Axios Des Moines, the Des Moines Busibess Record and the wonderful writers in your collaborative. I still relish my daily copies of the Wall Street Journal and Sunday New York Times, plus online access to many more. The Poynter Report provides an outstanding synopsis of excellent journalism, which is how I ended up subscribing to the South Florida Sun Sentinel - a surprising source of good information. We’ve been poorly served by Gannett.