February 21, 2006 7:25 PM
Errors in a column about tabloid newspapers
Here is a letter I sent Alan Jacobson regarding a column he wrote arguing that tabloid newspapers won't "play" in America. His column was prompted by another column by Roy Peter Clark, written in advance of the Poynter Institute's "World Tabloid Conference" in Florida later this month.
Alan:
I read your column on Romanesko about tabs. I respect your views. However you make some assertions that aren't true.
You say: Just look at the five markets in America where tabs go head to head with broadsheets - Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver and San Francisco. In each of these markets readers have a choice between broadsheet and tab. And in each market the broadsheet outsells the tab.
In Denver, the Rocky Mountain News sells more papers Monday through Friday (the only days the papers compete) than the Post. The Denver Newspaper Agency makes up the difference using third party copies and bonus days.
Here's a column explaining that based on records available to journalists from the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
You say: I've not found a single market in which readers say they would prefer to get their daily newspaper in tabloid format.
You obviously have not read the surveys both papers did in Denver before the JOA. We know that Denver readers prefer the tabloid format and that almost half of Post readers said they liked it better. The format is the single greatest strength of a tabloid when it comes to readership.
You say: For the first time in America, readers were given a choice of getting their newspaper in either broadsheet or tab format. This option was available to subscribers and single-copy purchasers.
For six months, the Patriot-News sold 100,000 papers in broadsheet format and about 1,000 in tab format - that's a 100-to-1 preference for broadsheet to tab. As of September 2005, they sell only broadsheets.
This is an error by omission. The reason Harrisburg was not a good experiment was that the tab was a clearly inferior product. You didn't get the same content in the tab. In England, the Independent and the Times conducted a much better test. The tabloid versions included essentially the same content as the broadsheet versions - until they dropped the broadsheet weekday versions.
I don't disagree that newspapers considering the switch face real challenges, especially on the revenue side. But it's important that people have accurate information on which to base their decisions.
Best,
John Temple
Editor, president and publisher
Rocky Mountain News
February 23, 2006
7:43 AM
David Neuman writes:
23 February 23, 2006
Editor, Rocky Mountain News
Dear Editor:
A smoking bill passed the state house and is now in front of the state senate.
Amendments abound. Allow smoking here, deny there.
I want to make comment about social lodges i.e. American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Elks . . . you get the picture.
Most of the active members of these social establishments are smokers, that is the folks who chair and are active in committees and who are officers in these posts.
The American Legion, for instance, exists to help veterans. The Legion also helps youth with team baseball, summer fishing camps and fall safe Halloween parties. The money to run these activities comes from smokers buying pickles at the bar, and to a lesser extent, bingo. I say lesser because bingo has lost ground to gambling up the hill.
So the folks who want smoking banned statewide are thinking only of one thing – no smoke!
If this bill passes and becomes law, the volunteer programs at the veterans posts will disappear and nothing will replace them.
Yes, I will agree, smoking stinks, and I too have to change clothes in the garage after helping with bingo.
I have to take the whole picture of what the smokers accomplish socially.
The non-smokers rarely show up at socials or at the bar. They just can’t stand smoke. I would hate to put my American Legion’s social program at the mercy of the non smokers on the chance they may choose to participate because the smoke is gone.
Most likely, my American Legion post will be gone along with its programs.
David Neuman
3212 E. 136th Place
Thornton, CO
80602
February 24, 2006
4:51 PM
William M. writes:
Just what we need, an inside baseball column about the newspaper publishing business when what the local reader really would find valuable is your explanation of why Bill Johnson remains on staff despite his repeated fabrications masquerading as facts.