From the memo:
In January of this year, we were faced with the choice of leaving San Bernardino County or implementing a very aggressive price increase to allow us to cover our costs of publishing and continue delivering in San Bernardino County. Unfortunately, a significant number of subscribers in parts of S.B. County refused to accept the increase in price and cancelled their subscriptions.Read the complete memo here.
Consequently, after further review, we have made the decision to discontinue home delivery in certain parts of the San Bernardino market due to low penetration levels. We will continue delivery in those areas where subscriber acceptance remains high, but unfortunately we will eliminate home delivery service in Chino Hills, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana and Rialto on Monday, July 13, 2009. The final print edition of The Press-Enterprise will be delivered to subscribers’ homes on Sunday, July 12, 2009.
In addition, rumors abound that the PE wants to sell its new headquarters, which the paper moved into two years ago, and move back to the old digs next door.
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14 comments:
Belo has been pimping out the new building for months because they no longer have enough employees to justify owning such a large building, despite having moved the SB County, Moreno Valley and Corona staffs in and closing those bureaus. Several floors of the building already are being leased out by other businesses, and the P-E could probably house all their employees on just two of the five floors. Good luck selling the building in this economy and even more good luck getting all the employees back into the old building, which is widely believed to be a health hazard. And the only surprising thing about the pull-out here is Fontana and Rialto. The P-E has never been able to make money in those other markets, despite several efforts during the past 10 years.
Pre-downturn, there would have been a big celebration in the Daily Bulletin newsroom that the Press-Enterprise conceded the Inland Valley to them.
From the full memo:
"We are optimistic about our future, particularly because the Press-Enterprise is the only major newspaper in Southern California to show readership growth of over 5% from last year, and our overall audience is up over 33% from last year."
Bull puckey.
"Readership" numbers are arbitrarily determined by the industry itself ("2.5 people read each copy of our paper!" etc.) -- and thus can be manipulated into whatever figure makes the newspaper look most viable, indeed, growing. And what, exactly, is "overall audience"? Is this the new make-believe term for those who look at the Web site? Guess the industry is arbitrarily assigning a self-servingly positive number to that now, too.
The fact of the matter is, the P-E wouldn't be pulling out of west S.B. County if it wasn't bleeding money and didn't plan to lay off more editorial staff. One could argue the paper never belonged in those cities in the first place, given that it can't or won't even commit enough resources to cover the city of Riverside itself.
The ongoing doubletalk out of newspaper publishers' mouths is fascinating. "Readership is up! Audience is up! But we won't be in your area any more."
How refreshing would it be to see a memo that simply says, "We can't afford to cover cities where people don't buy the paper, and we're already worried about expenses, so we're pulling out"?
But that would require honesty.
The funniest thing is the cry sometimes in the newsroom about the cities west of the 15 was "do we even cover that city?"
In addition to the building next door being a health hazard (because asbestos hazards in tearing it down)there is also speculation that the city doesn't want the building torn down.
No wonder Warren Buffett says he'd never buy newspaper at any price--look at the goofs running them! Belo, you are one smart cookie!
Put whatever newspaper chain name to the abovecomments. It doesn't matter. They all suck. Readership is a joke. This is the only industry where you can sell less and less and increase more and more...of course not only do they screw with print readership now there is a new art form...maybe not so new, where you can combine print and online readership and get an even more inflated number. Add the fact that none of them could sell a glass of water to an advertiser dying of thirst, you get a very sad and on the way to being defunct industry. It didn't have to come to this. The owners need only to look in the mirror.
"We are optimistic about our future, particularly because the Press-Enterprise is the only major newspaper in Southern California to show readership growth of over 5% from last year, and our overall audience is up over 33% from last year."
The Press-Enterprise is a major newspaper??
they are on drugs.
Haters. Have some concern for your fellow journalists, why don't ya? At least wish them well until they join you on the unemployment lines.
To the above post: Yes I have many good former pals still at my former paper but my respect for anyone still at a newspaper is dwindling. I'm almost embarressed that I waited until I was laid off; I should have left years ago.
But, you didn't.
what a stupid reply.
stay if you want--The staffers who remain get burdened with more and more, and are being told that they will be required to do more and more .....management is trying to hint to them that there will be fewer and fewer of them.......and soon
and when the reporters don't deliver as promised then (fill in the blank whatever newspaper you want) has ammo to lay them off or get rid of them a little easier
It isn't just in the newsroom journalists. Every department is asking people to do more and more with less pay and benefits. It is a choice people make, stay or go. It is your decision. Things are tough today in many different professions. Even in good times, the decision to stay or go is always yours. Look for another job when you have one. Don't wait for the sword to drop on you especially if you see it coming.
Hoping things improve won't make it so, and, frankly, it is only going to get tougher. Revenue will not be returning. Fewer subscribers will be the norm and fewer journalists is just a way of life.
I don't like it. I miss the depth of my old newspaper. It isn't going to get better.
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