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![]() Verified Would Like to Welcome...
David Atlanta magazine is a free weekly digest-size entertainment guide that is distributed every Wednesday. It is available in local area nightclubs, book stores, and coffee houses as well as at various magazine racks and boxes primarily in the metro Atlanta region.
Canadian Immigrant is a monthly publication distributed throughout the Greater Toronto area. The publication appeals to all immigrants, regardless of their origin. The content is comprised of successful immigrant profiles; columns from experts in fields such as banking, labor law, and real estate; and stories of personal triumph. The magazine is available for free at outlets throughout the region and via paid subscription.
The Colfax
Record is a community newspaper available at racks and delivered to homes
in and around the Colfax area. Features include a news section, classifieds, and
more.
by Jennifer Armor
Tom Fox, Vice President of Manufacturing and Technology, American Express Publishing/Time Inc., took a poll of conference goers prior to the IDEAAlliances' Print Media Executive Summit in St Petersburg, FL in February. He found that distribution outweighed all other cost-cutting areas for the attendees. Recently, The Miami Herald and the Sun-Sentinel agreed to share distribution costs by having the Sun-Sentinel deliver the Herald, El Nuevo Herald and USA Today in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Although the deal only covers about 6–7% of the Herald's daily circulation, David Landsburg, Miami Herald's President and Publisher, said the deal would save a significant amount of money. Likewise, long-time rivals The Chicago Tribune is now delivering some copies of the Chicago Sun-Times in certain areas. Kate Paine, Distribution Manager at Honolulu Weekly, a free weekly paper in Honolulu, HI, said that one way they are reducing costs is by rehabbing old racks rather than buying new ones. "If there are boxes that have been abandoned by pubs no longer publishing...we will pick up and repaint [them]," said Paine. She has also cut back her hours by about 25%. Higher gas prices have had a big impact. According to Paine, they've cut back their restocks using her own truck to just two times per week and are using her moped and bicycle on the restock and rack repair days. Drivers are asking for greater reimbursement (presently $5/week). "Admin is still not willing to forward any increase," she said. Said Jeff Davidson, Controller for the Greensheet, a free weekly shopper distributed in the Houston, Dallas–Ft. Worth, Austin, and Phoenix markets, "We are currently trying to cut paid distribution stops, and we are actually delivering other publications with ours to help with costs." According to Davidson, locations that charge a fee for the right to distribute the Greensheet costs the company about $1 million a year in rental fees. He said that although the Houston Greensheet is down about 2 to 4%, the other markets are steady or are slightly up. What works for one paper may not work for another said Mark Herman, Circulation Director at the West Central Tribune, a paid daily paper in Wilmar, MN. "Everyone is looking for that silver bullet," he said. Gas prices have been an issue for Herman as well. "We've added more [budget allowance] for gas," he said. The Tribune's gas allowance is on a sliding scale. "It started when gas was about $1.85 per gallon," continued Herman. "We pay seven-tenths of a cent for every ten cents gas goes up." There has been cautious talk about piggybacking distribution at the West Central Tribune with other papers, according to Herman. Although it might save money in the short run, Herman doesn't want to drive off his long-time distribution contractors by overloading them. On April 8, the Seattle Times said that it would cut nearly 200 staffers due to the effects of low ad revenue—131 of which were layoffs. Hardest hit was distribution. In an email to employees, Alayne Fardella, Vice President, said that 45 circulation workers, 30 newsroom employees and 24 advertising staff would be laid off. This is in addition to cuts made earlier in the year including 17 layoffs, mostly of circulation workers. The pressure will
continue to mount on papers to reduce costs as the economy outlook stays grim.
More cuts are inevitable for just about everyone. Said Herman, "It's about
survival. Which paper will be thrown off the island?" ![]() How Do You Promote Your Audit?
Verified would like to know: How are you promoting your audit? We invite you to fill out a short survey that will take no more than five minutes of your time. Your information will be kept confidential and your answers will only be used in combination with others for statistical purposes. Your feedback is invaluable to us and we look forwarding to hearing what you have to say. Survey
questions: While you're filling
out surveys, please consider taking our Industry
Outlook 2008 survey.
The results
of both surveys will be published in a future issue of ViewPoint. The Marketing-to-Women
Conference (M2W) MPA-IMAG Conference
for Independent Publishers Editor & Publisher
and Mediaweek's Interactive Media Conference and Trade Show MarketingSherpa's
8th Annual Selling Online Subscriptions Summit 2008 2008 NAA Foundation
Young Readers Seminar 2008 CRMA Summer
Conference Florida Press Association
Annual Convention Association of
Alternative Newsweeklies Newspaper Change American Business Media
4th Annual Tradeshow Summit DM Days Suburban Newspapers of America
Family Owners' Conference 2008 National Newspaper
Publishers Association Convention 2008 Alliance of Area Business
Publications Conference IABC 2008 International
Conference Digital Strategies
for Media Executives Circulation Management Conference
& Expo If
you have an event that you would like to announce, please send your information ![]()
Specifically, comScore found that 18- to-24-year-olds were 38% more likely than the general population not to read a newspaper in a typical week. The 35–44 cohort were 9% more likely not to read one. The flip comes with the 45–54 cohort, which were 24% more likely than the general population to read one. Some would argue the data simply reflects the fact that young people are less interested in news in general. But the comScore study says it's just the reverse. Nonnewspaper readers consume more news in general than heavy newspaper readers from a variety of online sources, including newspaper websites. That's a plus for newspaper websites, with nonprint readers 4% more likely to visit The New York Times website, 6% more likely to visit The Wall Street Journal, 12% more likely to visit the Los Angeles Times, and 8% more likely to visit the Chicago Tribune. But the news is tempered by the presence of myriad online competitors, as online news consumers also crave variety. They were 29% more likely to visit FoxNews online, 15% more likely to visit CBS News digital, 24% more likely to visit Topix, and 18% more likely to visit Google News. The finding is further tempered by the relatively small size of online revenues compared to the rest of their operations. Online contributed about 10% of total revenues for The New York Times Company in 2007, 8% at McClatchy, and about 13% at The Washington Post and 5% at Gannett. However, in the latter two cases, the percentage growth is partly attributable to steep declines in overall revenues, meaning the basis of comparison is shrinking. © 2008 MediaPost Communications ![]() Tips & Techniques – Passing a Field Verification Survey by Josh Luck It can be challenging to keep tabs on your distribution network, whether you manage your own staff or work with an outside distribution company. One way to ensure your paper is being distributed accurately and effectively is to conduct a field survey. A survey measures the accuracy of your distribution and provides important feedback on your systems and procedures. Below are some tips that will help you achieve positive results every time:
After the survey is complete, be sure to fax over the requested driver's list promptly so that a field survey report can be issued quickly. If there was a problem with delivery for that particular issue (e.g., late delivery from the press), you must notify Verified immediately. A Field Verifications Survey is an invaluable tool that enables publishers and circulation managers to keep pace with the community at large. By following these tips, you will pass your field audit and ensure your advertisers are receiving optimal exposure. If you have any questions about Field Verification Surveys, please contact Verified at 415-461-6006. ![]() James Desser Retires from Long Career in Circulation Auditing and Research After more than 27 years serving in numerous roles at Verified Audit Circulation (VAC), James Desser has decided to retire from the business. Desser has served most recently as Chief Operating Officer at Verified, where he contributed to the company's many technical innovations while overseeing day-to-day business activities. The company, founded in 1951, operated for many years under the leadership of Jim's father, Alan Desser. During this time, the company grew to become a leader in circulation auditing and research for print media and direct marketing. "Jim's influence over the years has been huge," says Verified CEO, Tim Prouty. "He played a vital role in our online reporting and the development of our standards and procedures for auditing electronic media." Known throughout the industry for his advocacy and support of excellence in circulation auditing and research, Desser's contribution helped expand the company's leadership role serving clients in an ever-changing media landscape. Please
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