I printed the Anderson County News from the time we closed LCNI's Landmark Web Press until PMG closed the Cynthiana Democrat's printing plant. I haven't seen one in a while but it's the same story playing out in many other chain-owned papers. Newsrooms are expensive, ad revenue is scarce, and every owner believes that a 40% margin is mandatory. String together enough high-margin/low-volume papers, and you have a business plan. This is how we end up with zombified newspapers and it's the best argument I can imagine for not-for-profit journalism.
Exactly. It’s not the editors or the reporters. Last I checked, our editor (in another county) puts out 3 papers and our one reporter does not live here. This handicaps them, but what can they do but the work they’ve been assigned? You are right, not-for-profit journalism is the future for a number of reasons. "Zombified" is exactly what our newspaper seems like. Meanwhile, I spoke to an elected official over the weekend (off the record) and they believe Facebook --- with its private groups, public cruelties, cliques, disinformation, etc --- is destroying our community. I agree. I see it all the time.
Thank you. In the 90’s when I worked for the LA TImes there was a foreign desk. And locally based versions of the daily paper. the south bay. The west side. The valley. While limited and not representative of the south central LA there was an attempt to localize. That went away the minute the paper was sold to a company interested more in profit and less in journalism. The internet was on the upswing and corporations were buying up newspapers. Look where that has taken us.
I live in Danville. The Advocate-Messenger was a fantastic local newspaper for many years. Now it is owned by a company that is not local, they closed their local office, and rarely report anything that we haven't already learned elsewhere. I never buy their print edition or even bother the check their website, as it is always out of date.
This is part of the sad decline of news and journalism is America. Our community literally relies on the Facebook group "What's Happening Boyle County" for information, which is obviously never touched by fact-checking, much less a journalist.
I printed the Anderson County News from the time we closed LCNI's Landmark Web Press until PMG closed the Cynthiana Democrat's printing plant. I haven't seen one in a while but it's the same story playing out in many other chain-owned papers. Newsrooms are expensive, ad revenue is scarce, and every owner believes that a 40% margin is mandatory. String together enough high-margin/low-volume papers, and you have a business plan. This is how we end up with zombified newspapers and it's the best argument I can imagine for not-for-profit journalism.
Exactly. It’s not the editors or the reporters. Last I checked, our editor (in another county) puts out 3 papers and our one reporter does not live here. This handicaps them, but what can they do but the work they’ve been assigned? You are right, not-for-profit journalism is the future for a number of reasons. "Zombified" is exactly what our newspaper seems like. Meanwhile, I spoke to an elected official over the weekend (off the record) and they believe Facebook --- with its private groups, public cruelties, cliques, disinformation, etc --- is destroying our community. I agree. I see it all the time.
Eggzactly right about Anderson News. You nailed it. Unfortunately true, etc.
Thank you. In the 90’s when I worked for the LA TImes there was a foreign desk. And locally based versions of the daily paper. the south bay. The west side. The valley. While limited and not representative of the south central LA there was an attempt to localize. That went away the minute the paper was sold to a company interested more in profit and less in journalism. The internet was on the upswing and corporations were buying up newspapers. Look where that has taken us.
I live in Danville. The Advocate-Messenger was a fantastic local newspaper for many years. Now it is owned by a company that is not local, they closed their local office, and rarely report anything that we haven't already learned elsewhere. I never buy their print edition or even bother the check their website, as it is always out of date.
This is part of the sad decline of news and journalism is America. Our community literally relies on the Facebook group "What's Happening Boyle County" for information, which is obviously never touched by fact-checking, much less a journalist.
This sounds, sadly, all too familiar.