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Christian Science Monitor to cease daily printing
Part of my job is taking calls from people who have complaints (and the occasional compliment) about The Daily Sentinel. People have strong attachments to this newspaper, and therefore they have strong opinions. That speaks to the relevance of what we do. Usually this feedback is valuable.
(Just yesterday my high school yearbook adviser called to critique the design of the previous week’s papers. What other field engenders that kind of engagement?)
One recent reader discussion went to favorite sources for international news. On this we agreed: The Christian Science Monitor. For 100 years the Monitor has dug up the stories behind the stories, both in the United States and through its enviable nine foreign bureaus.
That’s why today’s news of the Monitor scaling back from printing papers every day to just one day a week starting in April likely will be jarring to its loyal readers.
But they can still read the Monitor every day, they’ll just be reading it online. Like many newspapers, the Monitor is focusing its efforts at its Web site.
The costs of producing, printing and delivering a newspaper in an increasingly fragmented market have forever changed this industry, even for a subsized paper like the Monitor, which also is challenged with minimal advertising-sales efforts and a national circulation mission.
Comments
By Richie Ann
October 28, 2008 2:36 PM | Link to this
Sad but not surprising. Just yesterday the USA Today reported a 5 percent decline in national newspaper sales. The Web is really where we are headed.
By Kevin
October 28, 2008 7:31 PM | Link to this
While I understand the sentimentality factor of having the newspaper in front of you and the idea that you can take it anywhere (like the bathroom… I mean would you ask a friend if you can check your e-mail on their laptop if you knew it had been in the restroom?), I think that this is a trend that will inevitably continue over time.
There are a lot of benefits to an online publication for publishers and consumers alike: 1. It’s quicker and easier to navigate, which is big for young people living in a world where everyone is busy. 2. Production costs do go down for the publisher, obviously. 3. It’s in keeping with the “going green” trend. I mean think about it, who reads a newspaper from front to back? Online you can just click your way to what you want to read and leave the rest on a server.
Personally I think it would be cool if a newspaper had two subscription packages, one for online and another to get a paper. But I suppose that would just reduce the value of ads on both and make it harder to make money.
By Laurena
October 29, 2008 11:59 AM | Link to this
Laptop in the bathroom — I’m trying to delete that image from my mind …
Kevin, if you could figure out a way to convince people to pay for an online subscription, I’d hire you here and now. Consumer expectation is that everything online is free, so that means relying on ad sales.