Jackson Free Press

No surprise here, but daily newspapers are in trouble. Gannett, which owns The Clarion-Ledger, is showing a dramatic drop in revenue and readership, for instance. The New York Times reports today on how bad it is, and why:

Mark Fratrik, an economist at BIA Financial Network, said the February results were "not a blip on the screen."

"It's fundamental, what's going on with newspapers," he said. "The younger groups, the most desired demographics, are just not reading them. They aren't listening to traditional radio either, but I tell radio broadcasters that they're lucky not to be in newspapers."

Mirroring the slide in ad revenue is a long slow decline in circulation.[...]

On the bright side, says the Newspaper Association of America, ad spending on newspaper Web sites jumped 31.5 percent last year compared with the year before, to $2.7 billion.

The bad news is that online spending accounted for only 5.4 percent of all newspaper ad expenditures in 2006, the association reported. And print revenue fell 3.7 percent in 2006, to $13.2 billion, from the year before. [...]

Mr. Parr, the Jupiter analyst, said that gap was going to force the industry to adapt to survive and that the February results were just a symptom of this larger struggle.

"There is absolutely no question that the next 10 years are going to be really bad for the newspaper business," he said. "This is a time of wrenching change and chaos. All of our assumptions about newspapers are going to be changed. The format, the business model, the organization of newspapers have outlived their usefulness."

Previous Comments

ID

110847

Comment

If you read this carefully, it will become clear why The Clarion-Ledger hates the JFP so much. Their model is in serious trouble, and they haven't figured the Internet out (not to mention how to appeal to shifting demographics of readers). The interest is shifting online to the Internet, and we can all be daily here, regardless of how deep our pockets are. In other words, the Internet can be the great equalizer. The corporates must be kicking themselves these days for not doing more to build loyal readerships over the years, eh? All that slashing of reporting resources (and talking down to readers) in order to greedily guard their high profit margins is now biting them in the a$$.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-26T14:35:58-06:00

ID

110848

Comment

This may not be the correct place but this CL headline on their website confused me and i'm hoping someone can help me understand. Headline: Judge denies manslaughter offer in teen runaway's death From the Story: Wilson’s attorney, Public Defender William LaBarre, said his client was willing to plead guilty to manslaughter, but Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Mansell said the government was opposed. “We are not agreeing to it and the family is vehemently opposed to any plea,” Mansell said. Judge Swan Yerger denied the motion. To me, it doesn't seem like the DA's office made an offer of manslaughter as it implies in the headline. I could be wrong about the facts of the case, as I do not know them. There could very well have been an offer. But whats in the story does not support the headline.

Author

jd

Date

2007-03-26T15:40:21-06:00

ID

110849

Comment

You're absolutely right. The headline is misleading—once again, making the district attorney look like her office doesn't want to prosecute a case. On purpose or incompetent? You decide.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-26T15:45:45-06:00

ID

110850

Comment

OK, here's a nonsensical sentence from The Clarion-Ledger's editorial today about the city needing a crime plan: SHIFTING PRIORITIES Criticism should not be seen - or given - as attacking Melton and Anderson, but as encouragement to shift resources and priorities as needed. OK, we'll stipulate an ugly passive. But how does the "or given" fit into this sentence? Does "Criticism should not be given as attacking Melton ...." Then this; what does it mean: e Council - and citizens - now have a picture of Jackson crime with the release of statistics from November to February showing overall crime down and property crimes up. Down from what? Up from what? Here's a great comment from a read4er under it, though: So is just the Clarion Ledger's perception that Anderson "now" has a blueprint to fight crime? I don't know who is worst for Jackson? This paper or the mayor? Both are to blame for the mess Jackson is in. Snirk.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-03-28T11:18:53-06:00

ID

110851

Comment

Here's a new stinker sentence, in today's Ledge editorial: The Council reviewing the performance of city departments is the Council's duty, as it is the mayor's duty to submit them. To relinquish requiring confirmation gives too much power to a mayor, any mayor, not just Melton. OK, settle in while we deconstruct this sentence. First: The Council reviewing the performance of city departments is the Council's duty, How about: "Council is responsible for reviewing performance of city departments ..." ...as it is the mayor's duty to submit them. Huh? To submit what? What is "them"? To submit the "performance"? To submit the departments? Do they mean "performance"—or the appointments themselves? Then I don't even know what to say about the last sentence. Let's just rewrite that whole thing, shall we? "It is the mayor's responsibility to submit his choices for appointment; it is Council's responsibility to review them. Otherwise, the mayor has too much power." I harp on this deplorable level of writing in The Clarion-Ledger because I believe strongly that the paper contributes to poor literacy in the state. They may not want to invest in decent reporting, but the least they can do is edit the stories they do choose to run.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-04-02T09:29:51-06:00

ID

110852

Comment

You are right on target on this one. The puzzles and crosswords are easier to decipher in the CL then the freaking articles! I stopped buying the CL a long time ago. I occasionally picked up the JFP when having lunch at McB's and have ALWAYS pointed my mouse to the website to find out what is going on in and around the Jackson nightlife. It has only been in the last week that I have been able to take the time to discover what a jewel it is. I am convinced that if more people read and got involved, Jackson would be a much more liveable and cultural city than it is. Here the writing is better and the stories more conclusive. Rather than reading submitted editorials that are hand-picked, free speech reigns. Though juvinile responses pop up from time to time, I believe this is how things should be!

Author

ellis

Date

2007-04-02T10:01:25-06:00