The announcement, written by Stephen Wade, editor and publisher, was posted on the Morning Sun website six hours ago:
The Morning Sun has not been immune from monetary pressures. The costs of our consumables have swelled. Transportation and delivery costs have multiplied. Newsprint has nearly doubled in cost since I started here six years ago, and it is expected to increase in price by another 10 percent by year’s end. The cost of ink has jumped 30 percent this year.
Accordingly, The Morning Sun will no longer publish on Mondays, beginning Sept. 15.
No, we aren’t going anywhere. But tough economic challenges require proactive decisions, so we can stay vibrant. This decision has not been easy; in fact it has been very difficult. I am doing this because it is necessary. The savings realized by not printing on Mondays will allow us to publish a better and more compelling newspaper.
Pardon me if I am a bit skeptical about that last remark. In the letter to the readers, Wade also mentions that the Morning Sun will launch a niche magazine, Spry, "that will help you live healthier and happier." I have yet to see one of these niche magazines that is interesting and every one of them that has been created has resulted in a corresponding loss of actual news coverage.
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How long will it be before The Carthage Press and Neosho Daily News eliminate their Monday editions?
>I have yet to see one of these niche magazines that is interesting and every one of them that has been created has resulted in a corresponding loss of actual news coverage.
ReplyDeleteAmen. They're about one thing, and one thing only, advertising dollars, and screw what it does to actual news coverage.
The choir says amen.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Spry is a "reader" insert, like Parade and others. It is not an "advertising" insert.
ReplyDeleteAnd so it is.
ReplyDelete