Saving Paper(s)

by Mike Smith

A recent report from the Audit Bureau of Circulations should be of concern to anybody in the newspaper business.  And also for anybody who, like me, loves reading newspapers.  Today, the internet is in competition with the daily printed newspaper and can deliver the news at greater speeds, with constant updates, and with a variety of contrasting points of view.  Under the pressure of this kind of competition, newspaper circulation nationwide fell 10.8 percent between April and October, the biggest six month drop on record.  For over a year, newspaper circulation has been in a virtual free fall.

In Vermont, the two largest dailies, the Burlington Free Press and The Rutland Herald – in combination with the Times Argus – have not been immune to these circulation declines. 

It is important that newspapers survive, not because it is necessary for a healthy democracy as some would contend.  It is important for speech to be constitutionally protected, not necessarily the delivery mechanism.  To me, the survival of newspapers is more personal: I enjoy reading a newspaper instead of its sometimes limited on-line version.  I enjoy the content, the look, and the total flexibility of where and when a newspaper is read.  With a computer, plus the needed internet service, you are tethered and restricted.  I appreciate the hard work and skill that is needed to produce a newspaper.  I want newspapers to thrive and here, below the fold, are some fundamental changes I would make to preserve them if I were the king of newspapers in Vermont.

 
1) Have a better understanding of your demographics.
 
The newspaper business has become sophisticated.  In an attempt to hold on to readers it seems that some newspapers are targeting their news coverage for specific constituencies, figuring if they can hold on to either a liberal or conservative constituency they will have a loyal base of customers.   It is apparent that Fox News goes after a more conservative viewer, while MSNBC tries to capture the liberal viewers.  The New York Times tries to reach a more liberal reader, while the New York Post attempts to reach conservatives.
 
However, this targeting of constituencies can also create a radicalization of the news as news organizations shape their news to attract and maintain readers of a certain political bent. Radicalization of the news can result in more than lost subscribers for the newspapers.  Everything becomes skewed for the purpose of pleasing that targeted constituency.  If this trend continues, the news will reflect two opposite poles, always black and white, with a hero and a villain, and with nothing in the middle or gray in its complexity.
 
Radicalization of the news leaves a vast middle where people think of themselves as neither especially liberal nor conservative.  Although CNN has tried to tap into this vast middle and has failed to achieve ratings success, the outcome can be different in Vermont where a newspaper is closer to its readership.
 
The Burlington Free Press and the Rutland Herald are likely to have little valuable information about the state’s demographics.  Perhaps they have information about their customers, but odds are nothing about the state in general.  Chances are any sophisticated political operation has more information pertaining to the state’s demographics than Vermont newspapers.  Most Vermonters think of themselves as independent and it’s a safe bet that today’s reader of newspapers in this state tend to be older, or of average and lower income, and, ironically, more moderate.  Because his policies are viewed as moderate, Governor Douglas enjoys tremendous support from these individuals.  The youth, and higher income Vermonters, are much more liberal in this state and are likely to get their information from the internet.  So are Vermont newspapers trying to capture the vast majority of Vermonters that are independent and moderate and tend to be older, of average or below average income? Or are they directing their attention to a sliver of the population that are young and higher income that tend to be less likely to read a printed newspaper and more likely to get their news from the internet?  Format changes, editorials, price increases, and story content would suggest the Burlington Free Press and Rutland Herald/Times Argus are directing their attention in the wrong direction.
 

2) Stop news reporters from engaging in opinion, chit-chat, and gossip-like blogging on the newspaper’s website.

 According to polls, Americans believe there is substantial bias in how the media reports the news.  It’s certainly no different in Vermont.   This credibility problem must be reversed.  But publishers and editors seem to be going in the opposite direction to overcome the public’s belief of media bias. In many cases, news reporters have been ordered by their editors to reach out to the public through blogs. A sports reporter blogging is one thing, but news reporters blogging and sometimes offering opinions on the very subjects they are reporting on and often in a manner that tries to titillate the audience should be stopped.  The impression that is left is damaging and the reader will presuppose that those opinions expressed on a blog will almost certainly seep into the reporting.  Therefore, the story will never be viewed as objective.

 
3) Community outreach is important.
 
The small dailies and weekly newspapers are highly effective in connecting with their readership.  As a result, they have experienced only a fraction of the decline in circulation that has plagued the statewide and national dailies.  Out-of-state owners in particular need to make an extra effort in reaching out and knowing their community, but local owners can not take for granted its readership. People wish to be assured that the newspaper they select to read—if it’s a statewide paper—has a good understanding of the state, its people, its leaders, and its history before they will invest their trust in it.  Statewide newspapers need to reconnect and reestablish that trust.
 

4) Do not try to condense the news to bite-sized bits.

Trying to condense a statewide newspaper into a USA Today or CNN Headline News look-alike will not entice the target demographic to buy your newspaper in this state.  Most are buying newspapers in an attempt to get beyond just the headline version of the news.  Besides, anyone can go on the internet and retrieve this type of news in hundreds of other places.  Another flaw with the sound-bite-like format is that it doesn’t allow the reporters to gain the trust of their Vermont audience.  Vermonters get the feeling that the reporter has only superficial knowledge about the topic.  
 
Also, a razor thin paper suggests that there is a lack of interest in pursuing the news.  These days, if you raise prices of your newspaper there must be an attempt to maintain the same amount of content with, one hopes, the same quality of reporting.  A newspaper which costs more but then offers the reader less in content will not be successful.  When a small daily in Vermont sometimes prints a bigger edition than the two statewide papers, a reader may question the effort and commitment of the statewide paper.
 
5) Avoid fads that may save you money but lessens the influence of your newspaper.
 
Relying on the latest fad to help you with circulation struggles is never a perfect solution. Sometimes these fads are short-lived and cause more long-term damage than any short-term gain.  For example: a major statewide newspaper must have a daily editorial.  The reader is usually looking for a newspaper’s opinion whether he/she agrees with it or not. Without one, a newspaper’s influence is diminished.
 

None of these suggestions will lead to the complete rescue of the Burlington Free Press or the Rutland Herald/Times Argus, if they really need any salvation.  They will also need a strong U.S. economy.  However, it is quite possible that without change our two statewide papers will continue to experience declining readership which results in declining revenue from subscriptions.  With fewer readers there will be fewer advertisers and less advertising money.  The revenue picture will become even bleaker.   For newspaper lovers like me, it’s painful to watch.

(Mike Smith is head of ActiveGeezering.com, an on-line resource for active seniors.  He also has a daily one minute radio segment on WDEV called "Mr. Smith's Vermont," which airs every morning at 8:35 am.  He is the former Secretary of Administration of the State of Vermont and also a former Secretary of Human Services.)

 

Comments

[Tea Party Guy]

Vermont's newspapers are a travesty... their extreme leftist activist slant are the problem... sites like Vermont Tiger are the answer.

It was a happy day when I saw my first Rutland Herald in the reduced-size, $1 a copy version. Hopefully it won't be long 'til the postcard-size paper comes out for $2 per issue.

That's what you get when you misunderstand your potential readership. Like this great example of journalistic decision-making:

http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/opinion-newspaper-prints-shameful-letter-advocating-killing-hunters