Posted on 10/23/2006 2:55:26 AM PDT by abb
Weakening circulation among the challenges faced by Cruickshank
As temperatures turned seasonably brisk, John Cruickshank was waiting for his home furnace to be fixed Friday. Not that he needs one to feel the heat.
That comes from simply being publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times and chief operating officer for all of parent Sun-Times Media Group's area papers.
As at so many newspapers, Sun-Times circulation and ad revenue are down. But Chicago's No. 2 daily's troubles are compounded by the lasting effects of the Draconian profit margins demanded by the company's now-indicted former bosses and the still-healing wounds of a circulation fraud Cruickshank uncovered two years ago.
Plus, the underdog Sun-Times must stare down not just the mammoth Chicago Tribune but the Tribune's freebie weekday edition, RedEye, which comes out in a commuter-friendly compact size, just like the Sun-Times, and recently upped its distribution 50 percent, to 150,000.
"It's a tough year," Cruickshank said. "We have tough years, but we're in here for the long haul. And I'm not just saying that. ... We've been through so much worse."
Because of the circulation scandal, the Sun-Times must wait another six months before its figures are included in the semiannual reports by the Schaumburg-based Audit Bureau of Circulations customarily used to set ad rates.
When the last official ABC numbers for the paper came in December, covering the six-month period through March 2005, weekday circulation was down to 382,796 copies and Sundays had dwindled to 333,490. Cruickshank said then the Sun-Times had "stopped the decline of so many years" and was starting to rebound.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
Ping
Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat's right. It is someone else's fault, and not the fact that you all are not "journalists" but propaganda munchkins for the Democrats.
Start reporting the news instead of propaganda.
I usually buy one issue (weekday) a year. Windex and newspaper are great for doing the windows at the house. Don't read it first, though.
Was in Chicago for a few days a month ago and read this rag for three days. Would have been better informed had I read a Stan Lee comic book.
Since the Comical bought out the Post...they have had no competition.
For an area of 6,000,000 people and a circulation of 513,387....we await a real competitor!
In small towns bordering Austin, TX the Austin American Statesman rag sets up Walmart store front stands looking for new customers. I stop by every time to collect the sample of their wood-chip bias and let them beg for my subscription renewal. I love it when I can tell them face to face that I don't subscribe to their slanted news. Rural populations are booming but for lack of subscribers, the Austin American Statesman our daily rural route was canceled several years ago....says a bunch.
bttt
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