WHAT TO DO ABOUT NEWSPAPERS BEFORE THEY DIE

Submitted by Roldo on Tue, 12/09/2008 - 13:42.

In a discussion on Friday’s Dick Feagler TV show, Plain Dealer editor Susan Goldberg mentioned the possibility that newspapers might drop Monday and Tuesday editions, starting the week with Wednesday when they have ads, usually from the supermarkets.

I’ve thought of that too.

But what happens to the Browns game scores in the winter? You mean no all-Monday Browns front page if they win, of course. Wouldn’t that turn off all the tailgaters and Sunday boozers who need some details of what they saw on Sunday?

Actually, and I hate to say this, the Plain Dealer might experiment with an all-sports Monday paper. Oh, you’d have some of the news of the day but it would be in one or two paragraph shorts tucked somewhere on Page 2 or 10. The Cavs and Indians would also provide fodder for a Monday Sports Newspaper other times of the year.

I mean the whole staff could be turn out to do sports stories. Coverage from the previous day’s scoring, features on weird fans, lies about sports heroes, a bit of everything. Maybe even tell us what politician or civic leader was sitting in whose luxury loges. I don’t think we’re getting the kind of coverage we really want to read out of the regular sports pages.

Then you might arm-twist the sports teams into doing some advertising. Since the newspaper provides them with free, enviable and unlimited publicity for their businesses every day of the week. I have never understood why the newspapers give them all this free publicity. I know they think that it sells papers but I’m willing to bet it doesn’t sell that many.

You might even have Tuesday as a business issues newspaper, rather than the skimpy non-news that makes up most of that day’s news diet. What’s happening in our corporate businesses and legal offices should make wonderful fodder for a newspaper. Again, the whole staff out there working the streets.

On Wednesday you could put out the food newspaper with all the food, restaurant, and supermarket and associated ads. Recipes, restaurant reviews, lots more stuff than in the meager food pages now, but much more interesting with the whole staff producing for all of us who eat. That’s a lot of us.

Thursday, the newspaper might provide something of what they are supposed to give the community – a newspaper devoted to real government stories. I know how the editors really don’t think government interests people. Traditional news readers, however, hunger here more than the food section.

Friday would be for movies and entertainment. All the bullshit that goes regularly in the week’s news can be crammed in here.

Saturday, hell I don’t know but there must be something. Oh yeah, the arts and books. Maybe this would produce some ads for those readers that like to buy that stuff.

Sunday could be for high brow stuff that hasn’t been covered during the week. And columns. All the crummy columns would appear on Sunday because most of them during the week are too boring to bring in many readers.

That is my top-of-the-head advice for Susan Goldberg and the Plain Dealer.

A newspaper as no other.

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Contradictory?

It is so frustrating to see all those pages of sports coverage in the PD with hardly an ad. If sports is what sells the papers then why don't the advertisers want placement there? Instead our already pathetic news space is cut back for the ads they do sell.

The New York Times has Science Times on Tuesday which drives demand for that issue. That section alone is worth the price. But you have to provide something worth paying for.

great suggestions, Roldo

One edit that might sell the paper to two audiences on sports day - cover the cost of the taxpayer subsidy for each play... I'd like to read the money stats, like the ones you printed here ("Here are the latest figures on sales (sin) taxes for the Browns stadium - $46,619,238 - from August 2005 until the end of November this year"), though I'd like them broken down so we'd be able to follow along - sports fans like statistics. Hey, maybe we can even place a bet with the Brown's owners - you win, we pay, you lose, you pay - that game's costs.

Yes, even on Cleveland.com, the sports own the homepage right next to presidential and global terrorism breaking news - must be important. Is it important enough to make wagers?

Relevance

I went to cleveland.com today and found nothing worth reading

Try it - go to their home page and opinion page and see if there is a single story or resource you trust and that seems at all original and really matters to you - point me to the value there... and this is the big Sunday edition.

I'll scan through the print version later today and see if it is any more inspiring... perhaps the value is just lost in translation to the Internet?!?

Disrupt IT

Other than Dick Feagler's Farewell from the PD

I'll miss Dick there, continue to watch him chat with friends, and invite him to post here on realneo, where he is member number 134, and has been for three years and 38 weeks, which will be preserved for him as long as he likes

Disrupt IT