tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post5106278198150478489..comments2023-11-05T06:26:51.316-05:00Comments on Gannett Blog: How are your readers reacting to TV book changes?Jim Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712746705871119746noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-81252507559101747062011-08-24T01:07:59.325-04:002011-08-24T01:07:59.325-04:00I work for a different chain, thankfully. We kille...I work for a different chain, thankfully. We killed our TV book a few years back. Didn't get a lot of pushback -- our reader surveys showed it was one of the least-used features in the Sunday paper -- but after doing the math the publisher determined if we charged a quarter we could offer it on an opt-in basis to make the oldsters happy and make a (small) profit. There are a few ads in there,Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-7178054188316965192011-08-24T00:51:08.124-04:002011-08-24T00:51:08.124-04:00And 7,000 is just the kind of number that makes it...And 7,000 is just the kind of number that makes it profitable and worth doing from a dollars and sense standpoint. Doesn't take many, really.<br /><br />So, that's why.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-7291148610622480152011-08-23T23:26:26.793-04:002011-08-23T23:26:26.793-04:00May be insane, but over 7,000 readers purchased th...May be insane, but over 7,000 readers purchased the product in Wilmington. Go figure! Never would of expected it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-90962770462104455702011-08-23T21:50:37.045-04:002011-08-23T21:50:37.045-04:00Deja vu. Didn't everyone eliminate grids and c...Deja vu. Didn't everyone eliminate grids and change books a few years back? Stock grids anyone? Box scores? Let's move on, please.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-27811852188227255662011-08-23T17:43:27.631-04:002011-08-23T17:43:27.631-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-39104351109864857942011-08-23T17:36:55.394-04:002011-08-23T17:36:55.394-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-77448617357373038082011-08-23T16:59:36.356-04:002011-08-23T16:59:36.356-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-5554325999754835842011-08-23T16:20:57.284-04:002011-08-23T16:20:57.284-04:00Historically, the TV Book has been a tough sell in...Historically, the TV Book has been a tough sell in the Rochester market. It was a quarter fold for many years and popular with the readers. But it contained just a single back page color ad and maybe one or two other small ads inside. When they changed it to a tab (with even less advertising), there were the usual howls from the folks with 24-inch Zeniths and outdoor antennas, but it stayed that Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-16689253101997835852011-08-23T16:16:52.276-04:002011-08-23T16:16:52.276-04:009:09 you must be a cubicle person and have nothing...9:09 you must be a cubicle person and have nothing to do with sales, as far as actual dealings with the readership. You would expect 4 complaints? Clearly you have no touch with reality. 11:06 is right. Just as I believe papers should do with the entire paper, make it more worth the price you are asking for it. It will sell. Regardless of what the tech heads say, people still want a newspaper...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-3798179346932236662011-08-23T12:11:27.208-04:002011-08-23T12:11:27.208-04:00I'm in a market that made the transition to a ...I'm in a market that made the transition to a paid TV book. Shockingly, none of the four horsemen have yet appeared.<br /><br />And if you're looking to make the "you can't increase profits by shrinking the product" argument, the food industry is probably not the place you want to look for examples.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-86588180568327308822011-08-23T11:06:31.537-04:002011-08-23T11:06:31.537-04:009:09am When combined with other reductions in the ...9:09am When combined with other reductions in the newspaper size and content, charging for the TV book is "just another nail in our coffins". My co-workers and myself have heard from many people who don't know why they still subscribe - out of habit, grocery inserts and tv book - are common responses. Charging for the tv book that has always been free, might just be the reason Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-54885369344833191632011-08-23T09:12:37.128-04:002011-08-23T09:12:37.128-04:00Jim, I truly believe we are witnessing a corporate...Jim, I truly believe we are witnessing a corporate reenactment of the bizarre, oft-parodied military quip, "We had to destroy the village in order to save it." The TV Book decision, while rooted in expense reduction and the philosophy of being bonus content that we can no longer afford to buy for free, it will be remembered as one of the failed efforts made extend the life of a dying Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-18452711274234127182011-08-23T09:09:41.064-04:002011-08-23T09:09:41.064-04:00Histrionic comments such as the one featured in th...Histrionic comments such as the one featured in this post do nothing but cloud the issue when it comes to decisions of continuing the TV book. It's a lazy argument. Circulation folks have Chicken Little'd this issue to death for more than a decade. Five phone calls from some grumpy seniors should not be the basis for a business plan about the book. If the readership was really that rabidAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-51829249752814455552011-08-23T08:45:17.125-04:002011-08-23T08:45:17.125-04:00Our site offers the paid book and still distribute...Our site offers the paid book and still distributes the free book. The paid version is a 32 page expanded stapled tab. If your a subscriber to the paid version that's what you get with you Sunday paper. If you do no subscribe to the paid you still get a 16 page freebie. The 32 page carries 5 pages of advertising and the 16 page 4 pages of advertising.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099437767970534324.post-9978145041802688122011-08-23T07:31:23.640-04:002011-08-23T07:31:23.640-04:00This idea is insane, even for Gannett. Why would y...This idea is insane, even for Gannett. Why would you make subscribers pay more for something they've been paying for all along? How low can we go?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com