Sentinel Sacrifce.
Yesterday in several papers this story was run:
‘Orlando Sentinel’ Lays Off 21 in Cutting 54 Positions
The paper (and its owners, the Tribune company) have cited that decreases in circulation and other financial constraints are the cause of the cutbacks. However, a more malicious evil may be the root cause of this, greed. As most people know, most papers are owned by only a few major companies. As with all corporate lords, cutbacks at the local level only mean more revenue for the shareholders. When you’re at the top of the ladder, it’s hard to see the bottom.
Today I received this from MoveOn.org
Dear Florida MoveOn member,The Orlando Sentinel announced this week it is slashing 54 people from its news staff1, despite record readership2 and huge corporate profits.3 This means watered-down coverage of local, state and national news. Politicians and corporations who should be held accountable by vigilant watchdog journalism will instead be covered by a staff that is stretched too thin.
Equally outrageous, Floridians are being deceived about why these cuts are happening. Despite reaping huge profits that most businesses would envy, the Sentinel’s corporate owners in Chicago simply aren’t satisfied
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Actually, as someone who has a little inside information on the Sentinel, their readership is indeed falling drastically as is the case among many newspapers across the country (due to online news and blogs, ironically.) Not sure where MoveOn.org is getting their information, but I’ve seen the data and reports on this and the reality is maintaining the monsterous aging machines they must use to publish a daily paper of its size as well as distribute it cost “buckloads of money”. If you bring in “bucketloads of money”, well then you are just breaking even then aren’t you? Not only has subscriptions declined, but advertisers too. Web advertising has become much more cost effective and attractive for business (just ask the Yellow Pages about that.) And, despite being owned by a larger parent company, they are still an indepdendent branch that must show profits, only Microsoft can really afford to have money losing albatrosses hanging from its neck.
MoveOn might need to don a tin foil hat on this one. No conspiracy, just a business decision that needed to be done to make producing the paper economically feasible.
- Terry
I’m glad you posted this comment, I was hoping for a little more inside information on this. I wasn’t being accusatory toward the Sentinel, just curious.
I recently talked to a Sentinel employee who said similar things, though he also says that some of the management is a little out of touch with the city and the paper in general.
With some restructuring and focus he says that the Sentinel could make a decent comeback as a respectable paper. Let’s hope this is so.
Circulation is down at just about every newspaper in the country. There are only two or three that have seen flat numbers or a slight increase in readership. The Sentinel’s readership has taken a particularly vicious beating because people are tired of their slanted viewpoints in both editorial and news articles.
Readership is also down because more and more people are simply reading the Sentinel and other news sources on the Internet. Why pay for something that is free?
On top of poor circulation, the Sentinel’s parent company recently settled a lawsuit with the IRS, agreeing to pay over $700 million in back taxes, penalties and interest stemming from the buyout of another company. That can put a pretty good damper on things.
FRYGUY
A little out of touch? The Sentinel’s management couldn’t be further out of touch if they were on the moon!
Terry,
You are right, MoveOn.org doesn’t have a clue. Record profits? What financial magazines are they reading?
I’ll agree though, that the Sentinel is way out of touch. Just look at their recent promotional campaign. The imagery they use seems to depict a city and issues that look nothing like the Orlando I’ve lived in for the last 30 years. Meanwhile, blogs such as this have it’s pulse well on the goings on and issues that are of interest. I’d rather read a network of blogs by citizens in the know.
orlando sentinel still has well over 20% profit–this is pretty high for any company. the more reporters they lay off, the more we will never hear about whats happening here in our town. hasn’t anyone noticed the huge increase in AP articles? pick up a USA Today and see if you really see any difference between that and the Sentinel…we are losing local power everytime they lay off a local reporter. and yes they are slanted, but at least we have the brains to figure it out for ourselves.
or at least, let us hope.