Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Pay the same - Get less Baytown Sun?

I am a subscriber of the Baytown Sun. Without my permission they decided to reduce delivery of their publication from 7 days a week to 5. So, in order to keep our contract viable, I am going to reduce my payment accordingly. 

It appears the logic behind this decision was reached so that those who pay for a subscription can underwrite those who read on the web only.

So, once again, those of us who pay for a subscription, will subsidize those who free-load the newspaper by viewing the online edition only.  I smell a rat and a form of Socialism in this decision and this change is basically less for more.

From the Publisher: Changes in The Sun

Cliff Clements

The Baytown Sun

Published September 6, 2009
Effective Saturday, Sept. 12, you will notice major changes to The Baytown Sun.

The masthead will be changed to The Sun and will feature the Baytown Oak Tree. A new typeface will be used for the body copy and for the headlines. This redesign of The Sun is to better organize the newspaper and to meet the needs of our changing readers.

The major change will be in publication days. On this date, The Sun will drop its Monday edition and combine the Saturday and Sunday edition into a Weekend package. The new Weekend package will include an updated TV Guide, detailed sports information, complete calendar listings for the upcoming week, lottery numbers, and enhanced feature stories and will be delivered by noon on Saturday. As a reader, you will be getting two days of information in one edition.

Why make this change? The strategy of the newspaper industry is changing very rapidly. The transition of newspaper readers from print to online is happening much faster than we anticipated. Today, The Sun has over 8,000 registered subscribers to the Web site. With this transition, The Sun’s Web site will be utilized for more late breaking news, more short stories with reference back to the print product and continuous updates of breaking news and sporting events. Whereas, the print product will feature more in depth feature and enterprise stories as well as more coverage of upcoming events.

The Sun will continue to staff the newsroom seven days a week for breaking news on Saturday and Sunday that will be posted to the Web site immediately. The daily Web site will also be updated throughout the week.

We are not reducing the amount of news coverage that we supply to the Baytown area, but we are changing the delivery method of that information.

The Sun has long been a part of the lives of the citizens of Baytown for many years and we plan to continue that relationship in a revised format. We always welcome your suggestions for improving The Sun.

Cliff Clements is editor and publisher of The Baytown Sun. His email address is cliff.clements(at)baytownsun.com

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What about the old people, who don't even have the desire to have the internet. Some look forward, as a habit, to get up read the newspaper while drinking a nice cup of coffee. The weekends will just be horrible for them. If money is what they want maybe they should charge the viewers on the net. But I live in Louisiana now, I shouldn't be bothered... hope it all works out for the good. hehehe

Anonymous said...

It just goes to show you that even a typo riddled rag like the Baytown Sun can pull your chain. They CLAIMED that it was by popular request of their readers. ha ha. I say, THAT'S just a bunch of B.S. (which stands for Baytown Sun, if you're curious ;=)

Anonymous said...

My mothers whole day (86ysold) is getting up and reading the paper with her coffee. She is LOST on Sunday and Monday. I told her to save sections for those days and I GOT THE LOOK

Anonymous said...

"As a reader, you will be getting two days of information in one edition."

But at the same price as 2 deliveries? Who is this guy kidding?

Anonymous said...

It's along the lines of buying ice cream and while paying the same it's no longer a gallon container, the pack of cheese used to be 16 oz. and now it's 12 and costs about the same.
My newspaper sent a letter out a while ago saying on weeks when there's a national holiday (they listed 9) the subscriber bill will be more to cover their costs.

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