Recent information first. Connect the dots and tell me what you see:
Dot. 1 – Aug. 27: Record Searchlight newspaper employees received this email with the following announcement from Shanna Cannon, the paper’s president and publisher, in which she says the RS will no longer deliver papers to Trinity and Siskiyou Counties, beginning the end of October:
“After in-field research, and careful financial analysis, we have decided to end carrier delivery in Trinity and Siskiyou Counties effective at the end of October.
For some time now we’ve been struggling with service in these communities. The increase in fuel costs, over the past year, has made recruiting and retaining carriers an even bigger challenge. As a result, our service has suffered. Given the current economic climate, the Record Searchlight faces some difficult decisions. During the last several years, the Record Searchlight has been subsidizing the delivery of the newspaper to these areas and even then, we have found it difficult to meet basic standards of delivery. It is with a heavy heart that we’ve made the decision to no longer offer carrier delivery in these communities. The last paper delivered by a carrier to homes and businesses will be on Sunday, Oct. 26.
Keeping these communities connected remains a priority for us. We’re offering them three ways to continue to obtain their news from the Record Searchlight:
1. They may choose to have the newspapers delivered via the United States Postal Service. This will cost $6.00 more each month and they will receive the newspaper the same day it is published.
2. Soon, we’ll offer the opportunity to read the Record Searchlight print version online. Readers will be able to subscribe and receive our e-edition daily. This option will be available in early October. The cost is the same as the current home delivery rates plus, they’ll have extra benefits including automatic search for stories and the ability to increase the text size. They’ll be able to print coupons and ads.
3. They’ll be encouraged to read the daily news on Redding.com and it is free of charge. It is updated 24 hours a day and accessible anytime.
Our carrier force will be notified of these changes tomorrow, followed by a letter mailed to subscribers this Friday. This will be the first of several ways we communicate the changes to subscribers. External questions are being directed to Robbie Parham, our new Director of Circulation.
This decision was not an easy one, but given our inability to offer consistent service that meets our own standards of performance, it seems the best option for both our operation and our customers.
Should you have questions regarding these changes, or what we anticipate the impact being on our business, I encourage you to stop by my office or discuss your concerns with your department head.
In Hayfork, a young couple shares a Record Searchlight delivery route as their primary means of income. Their baby’s due in September. Their jobs end in October . . .
Dot 2 – Aug. 24: RS editor Silas Lyons wrote a disconnected sandwich column where the first and last paragraphs are ostensibly about legislators and tough choices, while the bologna in the middle contained national newspaper woes. The theme: Lookie what other newspapers are doing in these tough times. The San Diego Tribune is up for sale. McClatchy will cut 1,400 positions. Some publishers are “wondering aloud” whether to stop producing papers on holidays, or maybe not every day of the week.
For those who could stomach reading the whole thing, the column’s lead is really buried in the second to the last paragraph with this:
“In short, we make tough decisions in the face of reality, and I’m sure you’ll see more of them – both in your newspaper and in others around the country.”
But all the other papers are doing it . . .
Dot 3 – July 25: Record Searchlight employees received their Made Fresh Weekly newsletter -traditionally a place with employee newsie bits about births, retirements, anniversaries and company picnics. This edition featured a half-page message from Shanna Cannon, the paper’s president and publisher.
Her lead went like so:
“Some of you have requested to see industry news on a more regular basis. In order to meet that need, one time each month in Made Fresh I’ll be providing you with some of the latest news about our business. It won’t always be pretty, but keeping you better informed is the goal. I look forward to your feedback and welcome your thoughts and suggestions as this column evolves to meet your needs.”
Thought/suggestion: Stop gutting our community’s newspaper . . .
Cannon then shot off a graphic list of newspaper-industry “challenges” and “solutions”: Newsprint costs up. Newspaper company shares and advertising revenue down. Newsstand prices up. Number of news pages down. One paper claimed to even reduce its pages without reducing its news hole (remaining space after advertisements).
Maybe it contains less advertising . . .
In that same Made Fresh Weekly, the July circulation numbers are given: Daily 29,249, Sunday 32,920. (For a bit of perspective, more than 10 years ago the RS’ Sunday circulation was more than 40,000.)
Connect the dots . . .
