Sunday, October 26, 2008

At McClatchy’s SacBee: two kinds of tanking

Under the leadership of its executive editor Melanie Sill, the Sacramento Bee’s been tanking for Sen. Barack Obama.

Now from McClatchy Watch we learn SacBee's circulation is also tanking.

McClatchy Watch reports it's falling at a rate of about 1,000 per month. You can read more here.

On the comment thread, one reader says - - -

It is really revealing when you factor in the population increase in their circulation area.

The only good thing that is going to come out of the Obamamania is that it is probably the end of advocacy journalism.

Another reader follows that with - - -


That's the best news I've heard all day!

There are probably almost 4 million people in the Sac Bee's coverage area and they only have 269,000 subscribers?

Sounds like people are catching on...
____________________________________________________

Comments:

If people are catching on, that’s terrible news for the folks who work at SacBee.

But it’s nothing new for editor Sill.

While Sill was executive editor at SacBee’s McClatchy sister paper, the liberal/leftist Raleigh News & Observer, people also started catching on.

N&O circulation fell dramatically as a percentage of population in the N&O’s circulation area at the same time the area experienced very strong economic growth.

Last October with the N&O's ad revenue as well as circulation tanking, McClatchy promoted Melanie Sill to the executive editor's chair at the larger circulation and company flagship Sacramento Bee.

What kind of company does something like that?

Well, within the last 5 years McClatchy’s stock has traded as high as the mid-70s.

In March 2006 when the company announced its takeover of the Knight-Ridder chain, the stock traded in the mid-40s.

Friday, according to Google Finance, McClatchy closed at $2.41.

That kind of company.

Editor Sill is a strong supporter of McClatchy CEO Gary Pruitt, who’s led the company during the time its stock price has fallen 97%.

Friends at the N&O who talk to their colleagues at SacBee tell me Sill is very upbeat about SacBee’s and McClatchy’s prospects.

I don’t agree.

What do you think?

BTW – McClatchy Watch is always worth a visit.

Hat tips: Archer 05, Louisiana Wise Man, N&O folks, and AC

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

The advent of the internet (Al Gore's finest invention) has also brought about the slow death of the dead-tree media. Slowly, inexorably, subscriptions are diminishing; advertisers are beginning to see that nobody sees the advertisements that cost them a bunch; stock values are virtually worthless. What's not to like? I know John, a truly caring person, feels empathy for the routine employees who are going to bear the brunt of the failure. I suppose I can muster up some sympathy, but they have to know they're working for a corrupt enterprise so I believe they will reap the whirlwind as a result of willing ignorance of the lies they have countenanced by their employment. All it will mean is a few more homeless wretches begging for alms. The lives and careers that newspapers have viciously destroyed get much more of my empathy.
Tarheel Hawkeye

Anonymous said...

John, This is almost scary, a GOP endorsement. Things must be worse for the
N & O than I even thought. In the case of Beverly Perdue, what could be spun positive? Still, I am surprised they didn’t give it a try, given their record of bias.
----------------------
The Raleigh News and Observer
-McCrory's time-
“Pat McCrory makes an excellent case why he should be elected North Carolina's next governor. He has The News & Observer's editorial endorsement.”

Anonymous said...

TH comment: “The lives and careers that newspapers have viciously destroyed get much more of my empathy.”
-----------
That is an excellent remark. These J-school graduates surely can recognize yellow journalism, and the suppression of pertinent information. However, given they were educated in the current Marxist college atmosphere, maybe they don’t recognize the truth.

If you could hear out-of-work journos talk, you would say good riddance. They still blame President Bush for everything wrong in their life. To see a J-school graduate with $60,000 in student loans to repay, applying for a Post Office job is remarkable. Besides blaming
P. Bush, they are really angry the military gets extra points toward government jobs.

Anonymous said...

I have learned from a friend in the newspaper industry that the big city newspapers have begun to outsource (yes outsource) jobs, such as e circulation department jobs. You call in to change an address at circulation and you get some dude in India. Yet these same big city newspapers' editorials rail against "outsourcing of jobs." Me, I don't care if they outsource or not. But what incredible hypocrits. IS THE SACRAMENTO BEEN OUTSOURCING JOBS? Does anyone know?

knowitall said...

Guess the business is tanking because people realize anyone behind the left-wing illuminati can not be as smart as they exerienced as the claim to be.