Jackson Free Press

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Detroit Free Press, the Gannett-owned daily newspaper in Detroit, Mich., is likely to scale back home delivery to three times a week. It is widely believed that daily newspapers, in severe decline currently, will soon revert to a free circulation model, only publishing a maximum of three times a week. I predict that The Clarion-Ledger will shrink to a free paper distributed no more than three times a week within a year, perhaps as soon as next week, the way things are going over there. The paper has suffered declining circulation and slashed 25 percent of its jobs in recent months.

Meantime, the Ledger is trying to save itself by joining a national syndicate of youth-oriented nightlife Web sites. Even as the Ledger was laying off long-time employees, editor Ronnie Agnew was offering to pay staffers overtime to help snap pictures of young people drinking at area nightspots.

Can we say: Too little, too late? They really, really don't get it.

Previous Comments

ID

142343

Comment

ladd, i can appreciate your disdain for the clarion "liar." it is THE worst excuse for a newspaper i have seen in my life. and i've been around the country and seen many, so i can say that for certain. what concerns me (and i'm not beating up on you) is that your entries, more often than not, are any excuse to give them another black eye. no, i don't nor have i ever worked for them, and again, am not defending them. i love jfp and just wish i could log on once and not have the top editor's note or blog entry (or two or three) be about the latest misstep of our sad statewide newspaper. they've done some awful things, reported poorly or not at all, and in general, are a poor excuse for a business. but is there not more in jackson to praise, critique, or spend time and energies on? respectfully...

Author

2599

Date

2008-12-16T22:22:52-06:00

ID

142344

Comment

is that your entries, more often than not, are any excuse to give them another black eye. I appreciate your comments, but this statement is simply not true. Criticism of the Ledger is a small percentage of my blog posts and other writings here, and it's hyperbole to say that "more often than not," blah, blah. I even go through long periods when I don't post about them, but you know they just laid off a bunch of people three weeks before Christmas, and they have now come up with a different scheme for hurting the JFP rather than focus on being a good newspaper because they don't seem to think they can co-exist with little ole us. They don't need anyone defending them, and they got away without any real criticism for way too many years. but is there not more in jackson to praise, critique, or spend time and energies on? Yes, and we do that every single day. It sounds like the problem might be that you're oddly not noticing all the content that isn't Gannett-related. Maybe you should be lecturing yourself! It's simply silly to say that media critcism is all we/I do. It's a minute percentage, but we plan to keep doing it because it's vitally important, so pull up a chair. Thanks for commenting. Try some of the other threads while you're here. You might be surprised what you find. ;-)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-12-16T23:19:35-06:00

ID

142345

Comment

so true. to say "more often than not" might be a bit exaggerated, but when i read the blogs (and i do often though i don't comment often), it's a consistent subject. i guess i'm tired of reading it. so don't, right? they have now come up with a different scheme for hurting the JFP do you really feel metromix is a threat to jfp? isn't jfp more than your loungelist? i just see you guys doing so many great things...and then there's this seeming fixation on finding everything that gannett is doing wrong. i stress, they are rotten, but haven't we heard enough? is it jfp's job to call their bluff on anything and everything that is wrong with them? trust me, they will hang themselves without you doing it for them. matter of fact, haven't they already...

Author

2599

Date

2008-12-16T23:40:10-06:00

ID

142346

Comment

so true. to say "more often than not" might be a bit exaggerated, but when i read the blogs (and i do often though i don't comment often), it's a consistent subject. i guess i'm tired of reading it. so don't, right? Exactly. It's always a bit weird when people focus in on one topic and start saying it's all we write about. Media criticism and of Gannett in specific will continue to be a small, but consistent part of our offerings. Feel free to avert your eyes. ;-) But for God's sake, stop whining about it; it's not going to change anything we do. Media criticism is important, whether or not you personally want to hear it. It's not a "fixation"; it's media criticism like you see in every other media market. It sounds like you've traveled some; surely this component of the JFP's mission doesn't surprise you. It's not like we thought up media criticism! And, don't tell anyone, but we don't call out everything that is wrong with the Ledger. *That* would take all our time. As it is, we do what we can do between all the investigative stories, long-form features, political blogging and entertainment coverage that you didn't notice in your own obsession with our Gannett criticism. (Hmmm.) Metromix a threat? Not particularly. It's such an insulting way to go after our readers; it shows they think young people only care about getting drunk. But it is annoying to see that that is the only thing they're willing to throw resources at these days and how directly they target us and other locally owned media rather than focus on putting out a good publication that people feel loyal to. It's remarkable that Agnew was announcing layoffs in the same e-mail that he was asking staffers to work overtime for a national entertainment site they'd plugged into. So it's been fun. I'm sure you have other things to do, as do I. Zzzzzzz.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-12-16T23:54:15-06:00

ID

142350

Comment

Are you sure they are not down to 3x per week already? That might explain why I have no newspaper today. I live in Fondren and this is the third day since Thanksgiving that our carrier has decided not to deliver the newspaper. I've been a subscriber for 21 years but I'm seriously thinking why bother.

Author

Jennifer2

Date

2008-12-17T09:04:25-06:00

ID

142353

Comment

I don't know. Keep us posted. BTW, it's intriguing to me that the Northeast Ledger claims to go to every house in Fondren, and no one I know gets it. When I walk in the a.m., it only seems to show up on certain streets. Do you folks in Northeast Jackson get it? If they're claiming to go to every house, they need to be delivering on their promise to advertisers. Not that I or anyone I know wants the damn thing, but that's a different subject.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-12-17T10:21:29-06:00

ID

142364

Comment

Well, the paper got distributed to subscribers on my street after I posted here. I hadn't bothered to call the CL about missing the paper because it just seemed like too much bother. For what it's worth, it includes a NE Ledger.

Author

Jennifer2

Date

2008-12-17T13:15:31-06:00

ID

142381

Comment

From slate.com: http://www.slate.com/id/2206854/pagenum/all/

Author

JLY

Date

2008-12-17T17:48:43-06:00

ID

142398

Comment

Well, I know a) we only got the NE Ledger when we subscribed to the CL and b) we haven't seen it since.

Author

Pilgrim

Date

2008-12-18T14:07:56-06:00

ID

142426

Comment

We get the Clinton News every Thursday and don't subscribe to it. Guess its a free paper? Do any of you read the C-L's "Talk Back' section on their website, I read it mainly for amusement, but some of those letters really make you wonder what planet their readers are from. Like today there is a letter where a guy writing in is denying the Confederacy attacked the U.S. first. I nearly spit my coffee all over my computer on that one. Please tell me that there are not people that stupid.

Author

BubbaT

Date

2008-12-21T03:41:16-06:00

ID

142437

Comment

Sorry to say they're are, Bubba, but most of 'em post over there, so at least you know where they are. ;-)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-12-22T11:27:56-06:00