Posted on 12/13/2006 3:15:15 PM PST by Milhous
The state's largest newspaper announced last week it will stop transporting its publication to the Oregon Coast south of Coos Bay, including all of Curry County.
The Oregonian cited rising transportation and distribution costs in a typed letter sent to current subscribers.
According to the letter, obtained by the Curry Coastal Pilot, the affected coastline and and rural parts of "far Eastern Oregon" make up less than 3 percent of the paper's total circulation of 318,286 daily and 380,939 on Sunday.
The two areas will stop receiving the paper Jan. 1, 2007, the letter stated.
Kevin Denney, director of circulation for The Oregonian, said Tuesday subscribers may also go online - http://www.oregonlive.com - to view some of the paper's content.
However, the Brookings Oregonian dealer has recently agreed to personally drive to Grants Pass every day in order to keep the paper in Brookings and Gold Beach.
"We feel like we're part of the community," Brookings Oregonian Dealer Dennis Kessler said. "As long as we're not going bankrupt, I want to continue the service to the customers."
But continuing that service won't come without a price. Kessler predicts an increase of $8 to $10 will be needed to offset the costs of delivering the paper daily from Grants Pass. The fee increase will be applied equally to both daily and Sunday-only subscribers. Kessler will also supply local grocery stores with copies.
"I have to charge everybody the same," he said. "I don't want to, but it's only fair."
Yet without Kessler's offer, everyone would need to make the drive to Grants Pass themselves to get the day's Oregonian.
In the past week, Kessler has been polling current subscribers of their intentions concerning the new price.
As of Tuesday, 284 people had called, more than half of all his customers.
Of those, 162 agreed to pay the new price and continue receiving the paper.
"It looks like I'll do it right now," he said. "There is enough interest to make it viable."
Subscribers will still receive their paper in the mornings, including the Sunday edition.
Kessler said he plans on being in Grants Pass at 2 a.m. every day, around the time when the day's Oregonian reaches the city.
Brookings and Gold Beach papers should be on people's doorsteps around 6 a.m.
"The only difference is that they'll be getting the last edition instead of the first edition," he said.
Resident Betty Drebes didn't like the idea of paying more for The Oregonian, but said she understood it was something that came with the territory of small town life.
"That's what we have to do to live here," she said. "We see it as the blessings of a little town and cursings of a little town."
For others, the new price was simply not worth getting the Oregonian.
"It's ridiculous," resident Joe Thomas said. "We are living here in Oregon. We should be able to get The Oregonian delivered."
His wife, Jessie, agreed.
"I would like to keep getting my paper, but I don't want to pay that much more," she said. "I'll probably just stop subscribing."
Both said they will subscribe to the Mail Tribune now that their former source for national and international news is more expensive.
Officials at the Mail Tribune's circulation department said Monday they had received half a dozen new subscriptions in the last week from former-Oregonian subscribers in Brookings.
Both Kessler and his wife thanked all their customers, even those who decided not to renew, and said continuing service was their highest priority.
"It really boiled down to the number that said yes," he said. "It is a service that we would like to provide."
"There was a land of Publishers and Editors called the Newspaper Business... Here in this pretty world Journalism took its last bow... Here was the last ever to be seen of Reporters and their Enablers, of Anonymous Sources and of Stringers... Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered. A Civilization Gone With the Wind..."
With apologies to Margaret Mitchell...
ping
Wow, that's nearly one per day!
Yes, half a dozen will definitely put them over the top.
I think this is the publication which sometimes has interesting articles that water dragon posts from time to time?
On second thought, ... you post from a magazine by similar or same name, right?
A death of a thousand newspaper cuts.
Here in Oregon, The Oregonian is called, 'The Fishwrapper"...for good reason....
We discovered Brookings 16 years ago and have made at least one if not two trips each year to stay usually a week or more in Brookings or Gold Beach.
The beaches are the best on the west coast. Fly fishing on the Chetco, Smith and Lower Rogue may be the best in the world for Salmon, Steelhead, big trout and other game fish.
When we first started going there, the Sunday editions of the Oregonian were often sold out in most stores by noon inspite of massive numbers of copies.
We noticed that started to change during the 2000 elections when the Oregonian carried out a vicious attack cycle on GW and supporting the local state rats, who were ruining the economy of Oregon.
Freddie Myers started having less Sunday Oregonian Papers delivered and still had some left on the counters up to mid week. I asked a manager one time during 2004, if the DNC paid him to display the unsold Oregonian Sunday Fishwraps up to Wednesday. He snarled at me, and I told him that stockholders might be POed when valuable checkout space and counter space at the customer service area carried the smelly old fishwraps.
Future trips showed less and less stale Sunday Oregonians in the store with none on our trip last year.
We often hear about California ruining Oregon. Well lately a lot of conservative Californian have retired and moved to Curry county and SW Oregon. In fact so many have moved into the area, Republicans out number the Rats in Brookings as shown by the link below:
http://www.bestplaces.net/city/Profile.aspx?city=Brookings_OR&cat=VOTING&subcat=DATA
The Oregonian may be controlled and owned by a so called non profit entity, however, even they are cutting and running from their losing quagmires like Curry County.
The Oregonian is starting to learn when they po about 50% of their customers or potential customers, that can be a disaster even for so called non profits.
Crescent City and most of Del Norte County has more Republicans than rats and that could be a good market area.
I have felt that a newspaper serving the old proposed State of Jefferson area, would be a winner. That would be from Redding to Medford west to Brookings/Gold Beach and down to Crescent City/Del Norte. It might even sell in Tube Bender's liberal area of Eureka/Arcata.
Also, have an independent Fox state of Jefferson tv station with studios/reporters in each metro area.
Advertisers would probably run over each other to buy ads on both the newspaper and tv station.
"I asked a manager one time during 2004, if the DNC paid him to display the unsold Oregonian Sunday Fishwraps up to Wednesday."
LOL!
You're a mess....but effective.
We haven't subscribed to The Oregonian for years.
OT, my son-in-law is going to have a great Christmas.
My daughter outfitted him, and their oldest son, with all new fly fishing gear.
I got him a new Salmon fishing rod and reel.
We are never going to see him again. ;o)
"OT, my son-in-law is going to have a great Christmas.
My daughter outfitted him, and their oldest son, with all new fly fishing gear.
I got him a new Salmon fishing rod and reel.
We are never going to see him again. ;o)"
That isn't true we are seen before each birthday, anniversary and Christmas when we present our fly fishing wish lists to those who love us. Then we are seen at on the honored days.
ROTFLOL!
I see...so that's how it works!
We are going to have to make up some holidays, then. ;o)
Actually with the expense of fly rods, reels and lines, most people can only afford 3 holidays a year.
Just demand the lists in person, no emailing them or snail mailing them.
Also, they must be at your house or theirs to receive the presents, no mailing or UPSing them.
LOL!
You are a HOOT!
I like the way you think, though.
It's kinda devious. ;o)
When I got back into fly fishing about 11 years ago, my wife told my oldest son to pick out a good fly rod and reel.
He did and told her that her share was $500. She miss understood and that she had to pay half of the 500. He said "Wrong Mom, the fly rod, reel and line backing cost $1000. Your share is $500."
We still joke about it. I was the $1,000 fly fisher without a line, leader, flies, waders, boots, hat and rain jacket. They let me invest in those so I would have a financial stake in my new addiction.
Now, I use the two handed Spey Fly Rods, and one good rod can cost $700 to $1,000 without the reel, lines (note I said lines), backing, leaders and flies.
OH!
Your poor wife!
What a shock that must have been for her!
"I was the $1,000 fly fisher without a line, leader, flies, waders, boots, hat and rain jacket."
LOLOL!
That is TOO funny!
"They let me invest in those so I would have a financial stake in my new addiction."
They are very smart people. ;o)
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