mLive
When brothers Mark and Gary Stern announced a new daily newspaper in Metro Detroit, it seemed there was only one question on everyone's mind.
"Can it be done?"
Two-newspaper towns were already becoming a thing of nostalgia before the current economic crisis. After the recession, four cities -- Albuquerque, Seattle, Denver and Tuscon -- all saw joint operating agreements dissolve as one of two major papers dissolved.
Still holding onto their JOA, The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press cut operating costs by reducing home delivery to Thursdays and Fridays. This is the Press' selling point; the brothers want to offer a third option delivering three days a week.
Other than potential subscribers, perhaps no one is more curious about this endeavor than journalists and other media analysts -- all wondering if an economically depressed area which already has two papers with declining circulation can support a third.
Here's what's buzzing in the Web about the prospects of the new Detroit Daily Press, which makes its debut on Monday:
"What I think the Daily Press has going for it: It's locally-owned, rather than being a corporate arm. Most dailies were family-owned up through the early 1990s when the vast majority of them were sold to one media conglomerate or another. One of the most maddening pieces about the current newspaper business is how the lack of self-determination harms most publications. Gannett, for example, which owns the Free Press (among many, many others), reported record profits last year. And yet, it continues to order more and more layoffs. This is appalling, and shows what happens when a company with zero stake in the community (Gannett is based near Washington, D.C.) takes control of media with the sole intention of building profit. Not coincidentally, the brothers are both Detroit natives who maintain a residence in the area, though they live mostly in the South." - Anna Clark, blogger at isak.typepad.com.
"It'll be a challenge for them, but a new challenge for the existing dailies. Looks as if there's going to be a lot of competition where we least expected it." - Paul Berton, editor-in-chief, London (Ontario) Free Press.
"I understand the owners have committed two months’ worth of capital to support the project. Even in a good economy, two months of capital is not enough to support a start-up publication. In a declining media market, with few advertising dollars available in the depressed market we have here in Detroit, it appears destined for failure....Another concern about the health of this endeavor is the lack of buzz, marketing or community-building strategies. The only reason I knew about the new newspaper is because friends of mine where applying for positions with cheap rates and no benefits. They have only offered a few traditional old school press releases," Rosh Sillars, blogger at newmediaphotographer.com.
"While 7-day-a-week home delivery is an important selling point, it should not be the end-all, be all. As with any medium, “content is king.” And, with particular reporters geared to focus on the news of particular counties (ala the one-time Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Bureaus of their competition), it would appear they recognize the void in community news holes that currently exists as smaller, hometown papers publish less, go online or shutter entirely. That, I would argue, is where the prime opportunities for differentiation and “making a difference” lie." - Don Tanner of local PR firm Tanner Friedman.
"I am excited for this new paper in Detroit. It will bring a new fresh look to a landscape often marked with job losses, crime and a horrible football team and desperately needs something or someone to lift its spirits. With all the jobs and people leaving the Detroit area, it is uplifting to see a new business – with 60 new jobs – move into Metro Detroit. Especially because if the Sterns do fill the void left by the News’ and Free Press’s lack of home delivery, they have an excellent chance of being successful and adding a third major paper to the area." - Mike Hoffman, student journalist at Central Michigan Life.
"Can it be done?"
Two-newspaper towns were already becoming a thing of nostalgia before the current economic crisis. After the recession, four cities -- Albuquerque, Seattle, Denver and Tuscon -- all saw joint operating agreements dissolve as one of two major papers dissolved.
Still holding onto their JOA, The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press cut operating costs by reducing home delivery to Thursdays and Fridays. This is the Press' selling point; the brothers want to offer a third option delivering three days a week.
Other than potential subscribers, perhaps no one is more curious about this endeavor than journalists and other media analysts -- all wondering if an economically depressed area which already has two papers with declining circulation can support a third.
Here's what's buzzing in the Web about the prospects of the new Detroit Daily Press, which makes its debut on Monday:
"What I think the Daily Press has going for it: It's locally-owned, rather than being a corporate arm. Most dailies were family-owned up through the early 1990s when the vast majority of them were sold to one media conglomerate or another. One of the most maddening pieces about the current newspaper business is how the lack of self-determination harms most publications. Gannett, for example, which owns the Free Press (among many, many others), reported record profits last year. And yet, it continues to order more and more layoffs. This is appalling, and shows what happens when a company with zero stake in the community (Gannett is based near Washington, D.C.) takes control of media with the sole intention of building profit. Not coincidentally, the brothers are both Detroit natives who maintain a residence in the area, though they live mostly in the South." - Anna Clark, blogger at isak.typepad.com.
"It'll be a challenge for them, but a new challenge for the existing dailies. Looks as if there's going to be a lot of competition where we least expected it." - Paul Berton, editor-in-chief, London (Ontario) Free Press.
"I understand the owners have committed two months’ worth of capital to support the project. Even in a good economy, two months of capital is not enough to support a start-up publication. In a declining media market, with few advertising dollars available in the depressed market we have here in Detroit, it appears destined for failure....Another concern about the health of this endeavor is the lack of buzz, marketing or community-building strategies. The only reason I knew about the new newspaper is because friends of mine where applying for positions with cheap rates and no benefits. They have only offered a few traditional old school press releases," Rosh Sillars, blogger at newmediaphotographer.com.
"While 7-day-a-week home delivery is an important selling point, it should not be the end-all, be all. As with any medium, “content is king.” And, with particular reporters geared to focus on the news of particular counties (ala the one-time Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Bureaus of their competition), it would appear they recognize the void in community news holes that currently exists as smaller, hometown papers publish less, go online or shutter entirely. That, I would argue, is where the prime opportunities for differentiation and “making a difference” lie." - Don Tanner of local PR firm Tanner Friedman.
"I am excited for this new paper in Detroit. It will bring a new fresh look to a landscape often marked with job losses, crime and a horrible football team and desperately needs something or someone to lift its spirits. With all the jobs and people leaving the Detroit area, it is uplifting to see a new business – with 60 new jobs – move into Metro Detroit. Especially because if the Sterns do fill the void left by the News’ and Free Press’s lack of home delivery, they have an excellent chance of being successful and adding a third major paper to the area." - Mike Hoffman, student journalist at Central Michigan Life.
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