"The new print edition fits easily on the breakfast table along with readers’ cereal bowls
and coffee cups."
and coffee cups."
-- Publisher Margaret Buchanan, in a column yesterday about plans this fall to reduce The Cincinnati Enquirer to a smaller tabloid format of 10½ inches wide by 14 2/3 inches long. She also revealed that the new version will include a new section devoted to "good" news.
Readers generally don't like change, so the online reaction to Buchanan's column isn't surprising. In a word: yuck.
But Dennis Nichols wrote the best comment: "Format is not an important consideration, but it is a preliminary consideration. The new format is a slightly small tabloid format, and there is nothing extraordinary about that. It has advantages and disadvantages, as do other formats. But saying, 'the Enquirer will be one of the first papers in the country to change to this size' is just silly. Perhaps few publications use the same precise dimensions, but so what? For the newspaper's publisher to make such a transparently deceptive boast of innovation in a measure so obviously grounded in cost-cutting augurs ill for the publication's respect for truth and candor."
The pettier the issue, the more hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing you will see on the part of those with way too much time on their hands.
ReplyDeleteInnovation is not the reason behind anything Buchanan does. She does it for profit, greater profit and bigger bonus. Sure, she'll bring a good news section. They tried that in 2010 and it worked well the first time because it was novel. But interest in that quickly fell off when reporters realized they'd have to do those quarterly on top of everything else they did. As their interest waned, so did the quality of the stories they generated.
ReplyDeleteA cluster bomb in a the making.
Advice to Margaret: Although you consider readers idiots, most are a lot smarter than you and will see through this. Cheers!
Readers aren't buying it Margaret.
ReplyDeleteFrom reader Nancy Karlen:
I like the new format and size. However, I think it is unfortunate that the local printing location is being closed, with employees losing jobs and transferring the process to Columbus. It may be more cost effective; however, how is this move supportive of our local community? This newspaper is, after all, the *Cincinnati* Enquirer.
Now this from Lorelei Blackmon:
I like the new format and size. However, I think it is unfortunate that the local printing location is being closed, with employees losing jobs and transferring the process to Columbus. It may be more cost effective; however, how is this move supportive of our local community? This newspaper is, after all, the *Cincinnati* Enquirer.
And now a few thoughts from Hector Sanchez:
These two gals, maggie and washburn, continue to screw up their newspaper. Funny to hear how there will be less breaks in the stories only to have to follow a break to see the rest of the story lol! And lets face it, they are going to make the paper smaller to save printing costs, so stop insulting us by talking down to us and claiming we actually prefer it that way, or gee, it fits better on our table. And all the other garbage about revised content, blah blah blah probably in their mind constitutes a "much needed rebranding of our image" or some other thing. I see they are no longer printing this rag here in town also. Good grief. Who reads this paper anyway? I get the sunday edition at the store, why I don't know, what a waste.
Then Carolyn Washburn jumps into the conversation to talk about her 150 journalists. Be honest Carolyn. You're counting the weekly newspaper staffs as being part of the Enquirer. Yes, you use their tepid stories because you cut to the bone in suburbs. Name the Enquirer reporter who covers Clermont County? Not a community news reporter, but the Clermont reporter for the Enquirer. It used to be Barrett Brunsman who did a terrific job in a one-man bureau. But you laid him off last year and didn't replace him. Right?
When a good profit isn't good enough.
ReplyDeleteMoving printing from a local market isn't an easy decision. It does appear as the local paper doesn't have as much of a local investment (and some of that is true), but it really is a comment on the costs of labor and facilities in a metro market vs. the local market's support of the local newspaper.
If profits were high and things were good, using a remote printing plant wouldn't be among the choices. The format change plus the print move just equal too much opportunity at a time when savings HAVE to be found.
This paper couldn't be sold with the expense load it currently has. So, the move is innovative in that a major newspaper is capitalizing on a consolidation strategy that will not hurry or help current trends in advertising and circulation.
Readers may revolt a bit, but at least they'll be getting a paper unlike some other metro markets. The occasional readers are just waiting for a reason, but they'll be going anyway.
The readers have not been fooled by any of the "enhancements" made by Gannett, that one reason circulation is dropping. Gannett treats their few remaining readers like fools.
ReplyDeleteNichols is spot on, then again he should be as he spent the bulk of his professional career in journalism in Greater Cincinnati and of late, as Village Administrator of Batavia in the aforementioned area of Clermont County.
ReplyDeleteLucky for the Enquirer, few know of his experience as it would have a harder time saying why larger headlines, larger photos and more of them all wrapped up in a significantly smaller paper with reportedly less news hole is better. It's not and Nichols won't be the only one saying it.
The more hype the Enquirer gives to what in essence is really not that earthshaking, the more disappointment consumers will feel once the novelty of it all wears off.
In looking at the prototype cover more closely from the link below, it appears that no bylines will appear at the top of stories. Was this an error or is it the Enquirer’s intent to get all to read the stories before learning who wrote them, even those from PR pros trying to make a press release appear as real news?
ReplyDeletehttp://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120721/COL/307220036/Enquirer-s-new-format-innovation-purpose
No way Buchanan or Washburn are smart enough to level with the public, nor capable of respecting readers' intelligence. The failure of this experiment is a foregone conclusion. Gannett will pay the price of keeping those two incompetents in charge.
ReplyDeleteSuch an improvement ... larger photos of children at play and Women to Watch! Hope they cut down on the ones with the f-word in them.
ReplyDeleteThis is the gannett way: treat readers like they are stupid. Talk down to them. It's a hallmark of management across the company's newsrooms, and it's very unfortunate.
ReplyDeleteAnother dumb move. I would make these as big and wide as possible. I would go back to the old WSJ width. The closer these papers get to the size of smartphones, the more the readers will equate the content and value to the rest of the free stuff they find there. I would of course invest in the highest level of reporting at the same time and minimize the drivel and disassociate the brands from the free stuff. That is old school business and marketing thought, and this is the new world of social media for idiots.
ReplyDeleteUnless I missed it, what’s yet to be discussed here is how Buchanan plans to keep revenue losses to a minimum as it’s highly unlikely few, if any, advertisers would agree to pay the same rates for ads that will obviously shrink in size.
ReplyDeleteSome years back in Reno, I believe one of the marketing people called a size scaleback as easier to handle and "more cuddly." Not sure if that was shown to readers, but all the people who worked there certainly saw it and had a good laugh!
ReplyDeleteWow. That 115-page prototype is pretty impressive ... can't imagine how they're going to produce that magazine-quality content and design every day - or ANY day for that matter! http://cincinnati.com/blogs/enquirermedia/2012/06/12/issuu/
ReplyDeleteWow is right 2:15 though in this way…
ReplyDeleteRoughly 24 pages of ads in 90 pages (the other pages were comics and the TV section) overall would be astonishing if the Enquirer stuck to such a high percentage for newshole. Highly doubtful it will last long.
Buchanan and Washburn equal a double dose of BS. No one is buying this. The Enquirer has become the laughing stock of the Greater Cincinnati area due to the lack of content and mostly fluff pieces. They even sent out a letter raising the retiree rate by close to 400% saying they couldn't afford to offer the reduced rate any longer. Shameless.
ReplyDeleteThat increase letter was not intended to include retirees. Only a couple hundred retirees got it in error. You are still entitled to 50 percent discount
Delete"Innovation with a purpose." As opposed to those other kinds of innovation.
ReplyDeleteIf they can't get a letter done correctly to "only a couple hundred retirees" what else can't they get done correctly. There is zero credibility with this operation. Buchanan has gutted everything but her own personal perks.
ReplyDeleteWorkers at 10 papers in my state got the wrong letter, too. Seriously, no one thought of writing a different letter to the employees than went out to subscribers?
ReplyDelete11:21 is spot on; zero credibility.