It probably won't come as a surprise to anyone who keeps a close eye on the Joplin media market, but GateHouse Media, the darling of Wall Street, has pulled the plug on the Joplin Daily after less than 15 months.
The company made no public announcement of its decision, which came on Friday...the same day it published a redesigned version of the weekly newspaper, including the announcement that it was going to stop free mail distribution of the print version and require those who wanted the Daily sent to their mailboxes to pay about $26 per year. Even if that plan had gone into effect, it would not have made any difference to the Daily's bottom line since the papers would still have been distributed for free at Wal-Mart Supercenters and at Northpark Mall. And who is going to pay $26 for something you can get for free?
Money was given as the reason for the newspaper's demise...it was bleeding red ink and GateHouse never made a strong effort to stave the flow. The Daily never had full-time advertising salesmen; it shared a sales staff with the Big Nickel, and many Joplin residents did not know the Daily was still in business.
The initial idea was to make Joplin Daily the reverse of the usual business plan- instead of using a website to steer readers toward a print edition, GateHouse planned to have a print edition to steer people toward the website.
That might have worked except for the Moe, Larry and Curly approach GateHouse took toward implementing the idea. Apparently, no one ever told the sales staff to sell ads for the website; everything was geared toward the print edition. Plus, after an initial burst of promotion on television, radio, and billboards, the promotion budget was scrapped.
Even then, Joplin Daily might have stood a chance if it had made sure all Joplin readers had the opportunity to sample the print product. That never happened. From the first, the newspaper limited its distribution, guaranteeing that a large portion of the city never even knew Joplin Daily existed.
The penny-pinching approach that doomed Joplin Daily was evident in its news product. How John Hacker and his three-person crew was able to come up with as many stories as they did is remarkable, but it comes as no surprise to anyone who has ever worked with Hacker...and I was fortunate enough to have hired him to work at The Carthage Press on two occasions.
With Hacker, the Daily was able to compete with the venerable Joplin Globe on breaking news. Kaylea Hutson enabled the newspaper to pound the Globe with its coverage of Joplin schools. Otherwise though, it was a hit-and-miss proposition, especially once the Joplin Globe reacted by putting information about its stories on its website much more quickly.
A quick breakdown of the fallout:
Winners
The Joplin Globe- The Globe has one less competitor to worry about.
Joplin Tri-State Business- This feisty little, well-written newspaper, under the direction of former Joplin Globe reporter Jeff Wells, has a much better financial game plan in place. While GateHouse relied on promises of forthcoming advertising when it began Joplin Daily, Tri-State Business had those promises put in writing and was able to come up with a far more realistic business plan. The death of the Joplin Daily also establishes Tri-State Business as the print alternative for Joplin-area advertisers.
Losers
Joplin Globe- Had the Daily ever developed into the competitor it should have been, the Globe would have had reason to improve its product and its approach to the news.
Michelle Pippin- Of the three reporters who put their hearts into Joplin Daily for the paper's entire run, only Mrs. Pippin will be out of work. My understanding is that GateHouse has offered John Hacker a third go-round with The Carthage Press, at the same salary he has been making at the Daily, and Kaylea Hutson has been offered a position with GateHouse Plus, the arm of the company that publishes a host of free niche magazines. Pippin's reward for her stellar service, first at the Neosho Daily News, then at GateHouse Plus and finally, at the Joplin Daily, is a place on the unemployment line.
Joplin R-8 School District- Even though its reach was limited, Joplin Daily offered the R-8 School District the best, most unbiased reporting of the proposed $57 million bond issue. The Globe, in the past, has emphasized negative news about Joplin schools.
Joplin readers- The more news outlets readers have to select from, the better. The death of any newspaper is the silencing of another voice in the community.
The reason they have published negative items about Joplin schools is because that is all that has come out of the district for over 2 decades. There has been a small change i the last 2 years but there is still no support for the school, the district's student poopulation is declining, and the town will more than likely not ever be willing to give the money to build a new school. The middle schools are all a mess and the high school is still an absolute jungle. That is why people are fleeing to Carj Junction and Webb City; anywhere but Joplin schools.
ReplyDeleteExcellent analysis Randy. Does the demise of the Daily prove that Joplin cannot/will now support a second community newspaper or that GateHouse can't manage to do anything right?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous #1. Prepare to be proved wrong. This bond issue is going to pass.
Any connection between the departure of Ed Simpson and the decline in the Daily's fortunes? What about the Herald? Does it even still exist? Will the Globe fold it now?
ReplyDeleteI think Joplin definitely can support a second newspaper, but GateHouse took the cheap-ass approach with JoplinDaily.com and never gave the paper the financial support it needed to build a big enough staff. JoplinDaily.com should have and would have worked had GateHouse put forth the investment needed to get it off the ground. You can't start a brand new paper in town to compete against an established daily like The Globe using the bare-bones approach.
ReplyDeleteTalk about some insider information, Randy. Visit with John much?
ReplyDeleteAlthough I realize some of it was likely written in my defense (thank you much, Randy), I detect a little sensationalism in the original post. Old newspaper habit die hard, eh?
It is true...Gatehouse has tried to run this operation on a shoe-string, and I agree, no one on staff for the news source - from the MANY publishers to the lowly reporters, ad rep and page designer - should feel the sting of failure here. I know none of us did EVERYTHING we could to make the JDC a success, but we certainly did everything we were paid to do. If the powers-that-be in Gatehouse are feeling the sting of failure here, it should be in never having given the source a true chance to succeed with the financial commitment it needed. They asked us to make something out of nothing, and they got nothing.
Since Randy made a point to single out my singling out in his blog, I feel it only right to set some minds at ease. I've received a dozen phone calls since this blog posted, from concerned friends and business associates who are irate at the notion that I'm the only one who didn't get transferred to another of Gatehouse's local properties - instead, I lost my job all together.
The truth is, I didn't lose much. I haven't done my best work for Gatehouse since I left Neosho more than two years ago - and I left there because I was burned out. I've loved every opportunity afforded me to meet the people in our local communities and to tell their stories. I've been touched by more lives in the past six years than most will in their lifetime. I especially appreciate the opportunity my work in Neosho afforded me to cover the start of the war in Iraq, in 2003 and 2004 - in a time that I learned more about myself than I ever have in my lifetime.
Gatehouse media has provided me the opportunity to say - every once in a while - that I love what I do, and that's something many people have never been able to say.
But Gatehouse was a stepping-stone for me, and one that I've stood on quite long enough. Be assured - no one needs worry about me. Trust me when I say, I did NOT get the short end of the stick here. Gatehouse Media is chalk-full of some of the best writing and management talent this side of the free world, and they are under-paid and under-appreciated. Kevin McClintock - with Gatehouse's Specialty Publications Division, and Rick Rogers with the Neosho Daily come to mind.
It's been a great ride with the company - from Neosho to Joplin - and if I regret anything, it's not getting out sooner - when I was still at the top of my game - when I still loved what I do.
But I assure you, I don't have to land on my feet here, Folks. I was never knocked off of them.
I wish everyone with the JDC the best of luck - within Gatehouse or beyond. Whatever they go on to do now, may they be able say - every once in a while - that they love what they do.
Here's a primary reason for the paper's financial problems: Roper Pontiac promised plenty of advertising dollars to the new publcations, but never delivered. Shame on Hal!
ReplyDeleteAnd, GateHouse named sad-sack publishers for JoplinDaily such as Chip Watson, Randy Blaukat, and Chuck Elliott who knew absolutely nothing about the news side of a newspaper. John Hacker, in all reality, was not an editor but a glorified chief reporter (and a crackerjack one at that). Can you imagine taking on the Joplin Globe with a publisher who is so incompetent? Chip, Randy, and Chuck may be good at what they normally do, but not at setting the editorial course for a new paper.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad that Michelle already blew her chance to take the next step in her career by telling editors she was "burned out." The Globe wants to use people up and spit them out not take ones that are already used up.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, your coverage of city hall was through yet bland. You did a better job giving the city good PR than Lynn Onstot. It's a shame that your coverage never showed the same spunk as your comment.
"A newspaper has a number of constituencies. Among those are readers, advertisers, employees, creditors, and stockholders. If a newspaper and its publisher always keep those constituencies in that order: readers first, advertisers second, employees third, creditors fourth, and shareholders last, then the newspaper will do well journalistically and financially, and the interests of all constituencies will be well served."
ReplyDelete- Walter E. Hussman (1906-1988)
Looks like Michelle answered her own question as to why things turned out like they did. Her quote "I haven't done my best work for Gatehouse since I left Neosho more than two years ago " pretty well says it all. Why didn't she give her best?
ReplyDeleteWork for Gatehouse a while.
ReplyDeleteThe publishers of Joplin Daily, or the upper echelon at GateHouse, are responsible for the paper's failure. I applaud them for taking the risk in starting the paper, but that was the only bold move that was taken.
ReplyDeleteI think this is going to prove beneficial for everyone. Obviously, Pippen is happier. Hutson can continue her excellent education coverage since she is still in the area. Unfortunately, she will likely be doing that coverage in Carthage and/or Neosho. Hacker can do what he does best. He can be, and has been before, the best reporter in this area. Period.
ReplyDeleteHacker is not the best writer. There are several who surpass him. Hacker is not the best editor. In his own circle, Rick Rogers and Jeff Wells outpace him in that arena.
What John Hacker provides is guts and hustle and multiple tools. He shoots pictures (fairly well, I might add), he covers breaking news like a "dynamic newshound," and he develops stories from his regular beats.
Like Pete Rose, Hacker has become a legend by hitting singles. And, unlike Rose, he has done nothing to shame himself.
Who let Hacker's mom have a computer?
ReplyDeleteHere's why the paper ultimately failed: Hacker needed constant input from his publisher, and never got it. They needed to be brainstorming, plotting, and planning continually to give themselves a fighting chance against the Globe. Instead, Hacker had to set the publisher and GateHouse straight on occasion and tell them what needed to be done. Hacker is not an editor, but the best shoeleather reporter this area has ever seen. He needed constant guidance from his publisher, who offered next to nothing. The paper hit its stride in the first couple of months, then started slipping. It was actually much better a year ago than now. Shame on Chip Watson and company for screwing up this opportunity!
ReplyDeleteWow....when did John Hacker become the second coming of the christ-child? He may be a good reporter but he was a terrible editor. He was tasked with managing 2 people and he constantly let them run all over him. For as many people on this blog who have a man crush on him and think he is soo wonderful, then why did he need constant guidance from a publisher? Is Dan Chiodo constantly telling Carol and Andy what to do and how to write? I doubt it. Joplin Daily failed for a number of reasons...all of which can't be attributed to management. If the reporting staff is spending most of thier time on this blog telling the rest of the media world how bad things are then they must not be doing thier jobs very well. But luckily we know that since Michelle was kind enough to tell us that she hasn't done her best work in 2 years.
ReplyDeleteThe last comment obviously has never met John Hacker. He is the best reporter in southwest Missouri. Period. End of story. Others may be more resourceful and others may have more connections, but Hacker is the one you can count on to get the job done. That's what he's done at every paper he has ever worked for. Is he a great manager? Who knows. He was doomed from the start by the GateHouse leaders who wanted to micromanage one day and then be hands off the next.
ReplyDeleteAs for Dan Chiodo, if he grew some balls and was more involved maybe the globe wouldn't suck as bad.
interesting comment, let's see.....Globe, still open.....Joplin Daily, still closed.....Hacker, not employed...Stark, still employed. And I think the post does say he was a good reporter, just not a good manager.
ReplyDeleteI believe Hacker is still employed, actually.
ReplyDeleteJohn Hacker has been the most productive reporter in this area for years.
ReplyDeletePeople who meet him often universally like him. He is honest, ethical and accurate. He works hard and delivers for his editors and publishers.
Hacker accepted a challenge to launch a new concept. And, for a time, he made it a force. It didn't pan out. Fine. But Hacker had the courage to take a stab at something different.
Take a look at Pippin's post and you will see what he had to deal with.
For example, it is chock-full, not chalk-full, Michelle.
And I am not John's mother.
hacker's no griffin
ReplyDeleteBut he had even more visibility than Griffin's,er, unit.
ReplyDeleteI've known Hacker for... um... at least 10 years...
ReplyDeleteLet's be honest here... I can't say he's the best reporter in Southwest Missouri. No, neither is he a slouch -- he is a hard-working guy. His heart is nearly always in the right place. He probably works too hard. But he does have his flakiness -- we all know it... we've all had him come up and interrupt us while we're typing a story just to shake our hand with that goofy grin (which sometimes is a welcome sight -- so don't take that as a completely-negative comment)... sometimes to offer us potato chips... Even though I like the guy most of the time, I don't really think I'd want him as my boss.
I think he might have been my editor for one semester at The Chart when I was a freshman and I really don't remember him offering any stellar writing advice or strong leadership. Neither was he a poor leader. His work ethic is strong. What he did on his own was solid work.
It would be really hard to select a best reporter in Southwest Missouri. I would have to say the info presented about him being the one to gather the most information or write the most stories should be clarified... "since the passing of Gary Garton." Though Garton may not have been the most creative writer in the area, he was by far the most prolific.
At the Globe, Hacker might have been under-appreciated, which could have been one of his main reasons for leaving -- but he never mentioned it to anyone that I'm aware of.
Honestly, the Globe does tend to under-appreciate people with more experience and favor those with less experience... or so I've been hearing from several Globe people.
For instance, look at the situation in the sports department following Henry's dismissal, Davison's dismissal, Fryar's sort-of demotion, the changing of the guard several times in sports. They've re-worked the entire news editor desk (with the exception of M. Stair, who remains vigilant in his constant post for as long as I can remember). And something about photographers, still trying to get the details on that one.
Some of the Globe leadership is quite young in comparison with other newspapers its size. Experience is not always rewarded. You should reward the faithful and make the youth wait their turn. Youth and enthusiasm doesn't always replace experience and skills.
Maybe they should enthuse the experienced by offering them profit sharing or something?
Right, and the Greatful Dead will reunite too.
ReplyDelete