Thursday, September 13, 2012

Sept. 10-16 | Your News & Comments: Part 4

Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)

28 comments:

  1. Love the new blurb box on every section of the Arizona Republic.

    Exclusive subscriber benefit

    As a valued subscriber, you'll get a link of the exact digital replica of the print edition delivered to your email every day by 5am in your Morning News Now newsletter. Flip the pages, scan the headlines, read the stories and VIEW THE ADS! (emphasis mine)

    This ought to make those of you on the delivery end of circulation ju-u-u-ust a bit nervous.

    Got the captcha on the second try!

    ReplyDelete
  2. USA Today Is Turning 30, in Danger of ‘Marking 30’

    http://www.editorandpublisher.com/TopStories/Columns/USA-Today-Is-Turning-30--in-Danger-of--Marking-30-

    ReplyDelete
  3. A few days into the "new" Arizona Republic, and what do we get on the Sports page, above the fold? (And it's the ONLY thing above the fold)

    A story on the second least-interesting guy in the NASCAR Chase (that would be Jeff Gordon) promoting a race NINE WEEKS into the future. He's got stubble! What a rakish look. No doubt he'll make the cover of the next Nora Roberts novel.

    Today, what's above the fold? Not ASU and UA being relevant in football for the first time in years. Not the D'Backs single-handedly derailing the playoff hopes of Los Yanquis Oeste. Not the Cards, who will be playing one of the showcase teams (New England) in the NFL this Sunday.

    Nope. We get an ASU player with three kids, changing diapers and studying to be a social worker.

    Don't know how they missed having a pop-up ad for "O"prah Magazine and Amberen.

    Anybody else's Sports section being "softened" or worse . . . ?

    Third time for the captcha . . .

    ReplyDelete
  4. RT @usatoday We're excited to announce a #newusatoday, coming tomorrow, and we hope you'll like it! Check out this video for more: usat.ly/PmH4Us

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Why would USA Today make this huge social media announcement and then not have the new website up for people to sample?

    Really a lost opportunity.

    I was excited by the hoopla and then went to the site and its the old site. Disconnect.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 1:32 if you would bother to listen they said the paper would debut and then the website. Who cares what you think. Brillant campaign, fantastic product changes. Krammmmmmer!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. WolffOlins is spending a lot of time taking credit for the new logo.

    Typical brand agency....make it all about them.

    ReplyDelete
  9. 2:27 I agree with 1:32.

    Today was about employees but why put it in the NYTimes and introduce a hashtag on twitter and not have the site ready for the average NYTimes reader or average person to see.

    Very strange PR move. Lets tell everyone but not have a new site for them to visit.

    It's a let down for the reader.
    I like the logo and graphics but the point is there is all this press and NO website live yet.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  11. 2:41 - are you really surprised?

    ReplyDelete
  12. 3:09 - You are dreaming. L&L created all of our problems.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am not a designer in a newsroom, but isn't it a slap in the face to have a marketing firm create my product's new look? Wouldn't you use the talent within the company ... Creating pride in the product?! Corp should have held a G A N N E T T-wide redesign contest in lieu of going outside the company for a new design? So much for G A N N E T T pride. It says that you're considered talent-less! Damn the man, Save the empire!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sad. We get to be in the generation that watches the ship slip under. Hang in there Jim. We need this blog for a ringside seat.

    ReplyDelete
  15. 6:05, they had to go outside the company because they let most of the talent go. My god, just look at many of the papers (especially in Louisiana.) Those who are left are too busy trying to make the design centers work.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I bet with the millions Gannett spent on this last ditch effort to save USAT, they could have hired many of the laid off 20,000+ back at the community papers.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  18. We're #452...yeah (I think):
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/dividendchannel/2012/09/13/gannett-co-takes-over-452-spot-from-nasdaq-omx-group/

    ReplyDelete
  19. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Friends don't let friend work at the Shreveport snoozeroom.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thumbs down to the new USA Today. The feature that jumps out at you on the front page isn't the news, it's a big blue dot. Inside is a very difficult read, it's difficult to see where a new story starts and another story ends.

    There's still no advertising.

    Just imagine all the work that is going to happen to cover the USAT logo on every vending box with a blue dot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 3:18 count the advertisers in the Friday edition. Count them! Advertisers love the new look. Sorry to spoil your pity party.

      Delete
  22. I have news for you 3:18, there's just not a lot of the vending racks out there any more.

    ReplyDelete
  23. 3:44-they're out there, but probably only about 1/2 are getting serviced.

    This goes back to the customer service discussions the past few weeks-it's not unusual to find USAT boxes with papers 2 months old still in the window.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Holy shit did you see the size of today's USAT? I counted almost 45 ads!

    ReplyDelete
  25. 6:26 - The question is, how many advertisers were given discounted rates so as to meet quota?

    ReplyDelete

Jim says: "Proceed with caution; this is a free-for-all comment zone. I try to correct or clarify incorrect information. But I can't catch everything. Please keep your posts focused on Gannett and media-related subjects. Note that I occasionally review comments in advance, to reject inappropriate ones. And I ignore hostile posters, and recommend you do, too."

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.