To the Editor:
It’s obvious that when a newspaper changes management there will often be a change in management direction.
Many have seen the change of direction when the TDB changed hands previously. The change was gradual and for the most part positive.
Although the current change of management hasn’t had long to establish a clear picture on the direction they plan to go, there have been some disturbing questions raised on a number of fronts, not only by me but also from a number of people who have made comments to me.
For example:
1) The size of the paper has seemed to shrink.
2) Local sports coverage has not been as broad as in the past.
3) Local citizen participation both in the classified section and the letters to the editor, for some unknown reason, has seemed to decrease. One could possibly contribute this to the next three items.
4) Daily local news items seems to have decreased appreciably.
5) Local “interest” stories have often consumed a major portion of the paper. Not that there’s anything wrong with folklore and historical stories of interest but it seems like they are filling pages that normally would be used for county news.
6) The number of BOC news related stories, an area of great interest to many, has been reduced.
Now we come to the big question, what the future holds for the TDB and its readers. There is a lot of confusion on this subject and think it would be very helpful if management would write an editorial on the subject. Specific information would be helpful on the following:
1) Why buy a hard copy if you can read the paper on-line, assuming you have a computer?
2) What happens to those who previously bought an on-line subscription since now it is free? Do they get a refund?
3) How do advertisers know they are getting the coverage they desire if the hard copy readership goes down? It will be very difficult to measure on-line readership unless you have to subscribe for same.
Also hard copy readership is enhanced by some who pass the paper on to others. Computer usage limits this ability.
I may not have covered some concerns other readers have but hopefully your response will cover areas I’ve omitted and clarify management’s plans and objectives for the present and future.
–– Karl Kachadoorian