Too little news
I just finished the Saturday, Sept. 1 Rocky Mountain News.
The first section was 24 pages long. Pages 3, 5 and 7 were full-page ads. Of the final 13 pages,12 were full-page ads. The 13th page was nothing but ads save for a small, single 2-inch column. That makes for 15 out of 24 pages dedicated to nothing but full-page ads.
The front page, Page 4 and Page 6 were dedicated to “news” without ads. The remaining pages were primarily 75 percent to 90 percent ads with some news fillers that might contain a true two pages of news at best.
And this is just the first section.
Enough already. I get fewer ads and pop-ups from the Internet.
Ron Jacobs, Broomfield
Newspapers like this one are dying. That is why you see what you see. They are too stupid to remove their liberal bias and OPINIONS, therefore all we get is some feel-good party line crap. They deserve to become extinct for that reason alone.
Posted by truthy on September 8, 2007 08:15 AMrmn is responsible for putting out idiots like truth,drew charles b.,sharon b.,og,mike d.and most of all the anti-keith.
Posted by Keith on September 8, 2007 09:06 AMDo you really think the buck you pay for the paper covers the cost?
Get real.
The cover price of any publication does not even pay for the cost of circulation.
All newspapers and magazines generate revenue through advertisements. All the cover price does is provide a way to prove to the advertisers that someone buys the paper and thence looks at the ads.
It doesn't matter whether the media outlet is the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN or Fox News they are all selling the same thing to the same people--eyeballs to advertisers.
Twenty years ago the standard model was that a publication needed to be 60% ads in order to be financially viable. With today's costs I wouldn't be surprised if that was more like 70% now.
If you want to see a paper with a lot of ads go to the library and look at the archives from 50 years ago. You people think a sticky note ad is intrusive? Try banner ads above the front page flag.
Hey, I thought all you conservatives were pro-business.
Posted by Colorado Dave on September 8, 2007 09:12 AMDeclining circulation, plunging readership, falling profits, decaying ads...and surging layoffs. And now that over 50% of families own stocks amd mutual funds, the MSM obliterates the business section. What little "news" is carried comes from The New York Times.
I have the Rocky delivered and I'm done with the sports section in a bout 10 minutes. Then I walk my dog and I am careful to remember to bring the plastic bag that the RMN is delivered in, its the best part. My caged parrot then gets to read page #1 for about 24 hours. The Post is even worse, their dominant political agenda disqualifies them as a legitimate source of any news.
I agree with truthy. It's such a shame that these guys can't figure out how to make a newspaper worth reading.
The medium is not obsolete. But, it needs to made more relevant. Posting short crime stories from the ghetto sprinkled with liberal AP news fluff and half a page devoted to a moron like Paul Campos makes for a boring read.
Posted by John II on September 8, 2007 09:32 AMLol…Hank, why torture that poor parrot, what has that bird ever done to you to deserve this?
Posted by Uno on September 8, 2007 12:50 PMConservatives are often blamed
And many bad things about them are claimed
But look closely with me
And soon you will see
It's of Keith they should most be ashamed
Seriously, guys,
He's making you all look bad!
You should disown him.
--a limerick / haiku combo from...
Posted by the Anti-Keith on September 8, 2007 03:03 PMI never hear anyone complain about ads in magazines. Those hard cardboard subscriptions forms and pull out pages. Your subscription money doesn`t pay the bills now.
Advertisers keep the products selling that keeps the economy growing, why are you so short sighted?
Don`t any of you ever buy something you see advertised in the papers?
Posted by Sharon B. on September 8, 2007 03:59 PMOne of the reasons I will let my subscriptions to the local newspapers expire is that I can't see spending $110+ for each paper -- RMN & DP -- to essentially have ads delivered to my door. I end up surfing the web for comprehensive news coverage any way. Now I find myself shopping on line for most things even if I'm looking for something to pick up at a local brick and mortar store.
I know from previous posts that you are involved in recruiting and working in the delivery end, Sharon, but I fear you may be holding on to a slowly dying entity. IF they would include more actual news along with their heavy, bill paying ads, I would reconsider.
However, even this morning while reading the papers three times I was told to go their respective websites for further information! Kinda defeats the purpose of reading the paper in the first place.
Posted by mongoose on September 8, 2007 06:13 PMNewsprint needs gum, and Darfur provides the overwhelming majority of gum on the planet. If the situation were changed in Darfur the gum supplies would plummet, making newsprint obsolete.
anon 06:29:--
Huh?
Posted by on September 8, 2007 07:35 PMThis is a great paper if you like to read the sordid details about heinous crimes.
Go elsewhere- particularly straight to the wire services and some of the better foreign press- for hard news.
Posted by Charles B on September 8, 2007 09:03 PMMongoose, It wouldn`t hurt to pay the drivers a little more either.
As I said, I can`t even get illegals to work.
I wrote this before I saw todays RMN with the fold over MacDonalds ad. NOooooo...
Posted by Sharon B. on September 8, 2007 10:10 PMSharon B
I wrote this before I saw todays RMN with the fold over MacDonalds ad. NOooooo...
Welcome to a sample of what we call a newspaper!
Posted by mongoose on September 8, 2007 10:25 PMThanks a bunch. I`m running out of defenses.
Posted by Sharon B. on September 9, 2007 12:39 AMLike the letter writer, I’m running out of patience with the seemingly endless amount of advertising that runs through an issue of The Rocky. I’m aware that advertisers are necessary for the paper but the situation has gotten entirely out of hand.
I like looking at a newspaper but, it’s getting to the point that the experience is more like looking at a series of catalogs for department stores and furniture outlets (let’s not forget the liquor stores).
I don’t think that it’s too much to ask that the newspaper actually print news. Often, we’re treated to a fluff, “human interest” story instead of real news and analysis.
By the way, the paper seems to have gotten thinner (has less pages/bulk). Does this reflect the emphasis on printing less news and more ads?
I just had to get that out of my system.
"By the way, the paper seems to have gotten thinner (has less pages/bulk). Does this reflect the emphasis on printing less news and more ads?"
The amount of news is directly determined by the amount of ads sold.
I f you have sold 40 pages of ads and you are going for a 70/30 ad/news ratio then you have a 58 page section. Since tabloids need to ad pages in groups of four you will either go up to 60 pages or down to 56. It is really very simple.
The problem is not that 70% of the paper is advertisements. What counts is what the Rocky and the Post do with their News Hole. They waste it. Stories in the post like "Dad heard fatal car crash" or "New playgrounds exercise kids' fancies"
Or in the Rocky like: "Pirates prowl seas of air travelers" or "Starving dog finds abundant support" Are poorly written and a waste of space.
Spend a week reading the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. Then pick up the Rocky or Post. You will quickly see how sophomoric Denver journalism is.
Posted by Colorado Dave on September 9, 2007 08:35 AMColorado Dave,Try the Washington Times and N.y.Post.You see how far down the rmn. is and what is left out in the N.Y.Times.Plus the N.y.Times is totolly liberal ,mis- leading people.
Posted by Keith on September 9, 2007 09:20 AMThe Denver Newspaper Agency controls the business side of both the RMN and DP. They set the size of the papers and how many column inches each publishers has been budgeted for their use -- includes news, comic, sports, opinion, etc.; everything that a publisher "needs" to include in order to publish a NEWSpaper. The size is essentially the same for each newspaper.
The DNA then sells and provides to each newspaper all of the ads to be run daily, including any specifications as to page location, if applicable. The newspapers then set their format filling in their NEWS, etc, around the ad requirements.
If one of the publishers wants or needs more column inches, they have to "purchase" the various increments of two pages at a time (one 1/2 sheet of newsprint can be inserted). This "purchase price" is deducted from their share of the joint operation. It should also be noted that extra column inches are rarely purchased by just one paper. The papers trim their proposed content to fit the budgeted allowances.
Colorado Dave was pretty accurate with his description. I just clarified a couple of points as I have a little better knowledge based on my experience as
A Former DNA operation insider
Posted by on September 9, 2007 10:32 AMHmmm....
Now I know what type of person reads Sun Myung Moon's Washington Times.
30 years ago we had Moonies in the airports now we have them owning newspapers.....
Posted by Colorado Dave on September 9, 2007 07:13 PMJournalism died the day this word was replaced by "mass communications" .
Posted by Jean on September 10, 2007 09:14 AMNo, journalism died the day reporters stopped keeping a bottle of whiskey in their desks.
Posted by Colorado Dave on September 10, 2007 07:56 PM