Cleveland Plain Dealer Named One of Next 10 Newspapers Likely to Fold or Go Digital
The original epicenter of the toxic subprime loan industry fallout and subsequent foreclosure crisis, Cleveland continues to face tough economic times. Cleveland's lone remaining daily newspaper, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, faces similarly harsh economic conditions and is struggling to survive. In an article published Monday, Time.com writers predict that the PD will be one of the next ten major newspapers to either fold or digital in the next year.
Circulation and ad sales are down, and they've been continually cutting back the actual number of printed pages in the paper for awhile now. Staff has been slashed, and raising the price to an appalling $0.75 per day hasn't done much to help matters either. The Plain Dealer is so desperate to stay afloat that in January they even announced they were looking to rent out parking and office space in its Superior Ave. and E. 18th building. The future of the PD is not looking very bright.
Time writer Douglas A. McIntyre warned:
The Cleveland Plain Dealer is in one of the economically weakest markets in the country. Its parent, Advance Publications, has already threatened to close its paper in Newark. Employees gave up enough in terms of concessions to keep the paper open. Advance, owned by the Newhouse family, is carrying the burden of its paper plus Conde Nast, its magazine group which is losing advertising revenue. The Plain Dealer will be shut or go digital by the end of next year.
Founded in 1842, the Plain Dealer has a long history in Cleveland. It has outlasted every other major daily paper in this city, gulping up and pushing out competitors over the years. If McIntyre is right in his predictions, it's reign may soon be coming to an end, forcing the PD to close up shop for good or duke it out in the extremely competitive online news market.
Comments
I can't believe this news, it is so sad. We will have no other paperwork when the Plain Dealer closes its doors.
Douglas A. McIntyre is not a Time writer, this list was not a product of Time magazine, and The Plain Dealer is not going out of business.
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/03/publisher_calls_report_baseles.html
Now the PD is telling their staff to comment to dispell the rumors. Wow!
Where there is smoke there is fire....
Post the comments you said you would!
I think the article is true…I heard the same thing on a national radio broadcast. I think the paper could definitely close down or go to just an electronic version. But who knows, they're not always right. They said National City was in trouble, too…..wait….
Building that wasteful, unnecessary Taj Mahal of a building. Publishers, managing editors and executive editors who become sucked into being part of the city's cozy elite circle - instead of keeping an appropriate arms-length distance from them.Giving an excessive amount of influence and power to too many people who have minimal talent, but huge personal agendas. Having a top-heavy operation that worships editors over writers. Allowing petty back-biting and internal jealousies to run off too many talented writers. Totally falling asleep on the Internet explosion. Paying two people to cover the town's biggest pro franchise - the football team - yet seeing them constantly scooped on Browns stories by the national media. Arrogant delivery people. Etc, etc., etc
Not just the national media. TheOBR.com scoops them almost daily.
You are so right. Point blank, the quality of the paper has declined, and their sales have suffered accordingly. Perhaps they felt that because they were the only "major" game in town that they didn't have to worry. They were wrong.
Some of the things written in the paper over the past years are simply amazing. I never would have expected to see a "legitimate" paper print such idiocy and expect to be taken seriously.
Even if they manage to survive, whether in print or digital form, I hope this serves as a serious wake-up call. Turning themselves into a pandering rag won't help them. There are simply too many about these days, and print media in this area aren't the only ones guilty of this either.