Home > So, what do you think? > Archives > 2008 > August > 13 > Entry
Trying times for community newspapers
So we left the Telegram today with a big, uncertain future and a pocket full of irony.
We’re on the sales block. Cox Enterprises, which owns the Rocky Mount Telegram, announced today that the company is putting up for sale almost all of its community newspapers, including The Daily Reflector in Greenville, The Daily Advance in Elizabeth City and us,
We don’t know what will happen next. It’s no secret that newspapers all over the country are having a tough time. The Internet has been chipping away at our most valuable commodity - information. The rising costs of gasoline and newsprint have mulitplied our woes.
So the news isn’t entirely unexpected. But the ironies keep hitting me anyway.
I work for a great, stand-up company. Cox doesn’t play games with important information about the future of its newspapers or its employees. Department heads had a conference call at 11 a.m. today with our company president. Telegram Publisher Rip Woodin (and the publisher of every other affected newspaper) addressed the full staffs of our respective papers at 3 p.m.
The full disclosure makes the uncertainty that much harder to bear. I don’t want to leave a company that is this open with its employees.
There are financial ironies, too. Big, metropolitan newspapers are having a heck of a time making money these days. Community papers like ours aren’t exactly setting records, but we’re still turning profits. That’s one reason we’re up for sale and metro papers aren’t. We’re a juicier piece of fruit.
That’s good business sense. It’s just hard to think of it as a reward for good, hard work.
You’re reading an example of the final irony I can think of. Community-sized newspapers haven’t been the fastest in the world when it comes to taking advantage of new media. But the Telegram staff this year has concentrated on our Web site, and we’ve seen amazing results.
We set a record for all-time daily page views two weeks ago. We set another one last week. We set another one this week. Our Web site draws more than 100,000 unique visitors every month. Those visitors in July clicked on more than 2.5 million pages. So at a time when everyone in the world is scrambling for Web site visitors, we’re lighting up the scoreboard.
It’s tough sharing these thoughts and jitters with a staff that is as hard-working as ours. I love the kick-butt attitude of our newsroom. Gene Metrick, Ray Watters, Ben Jones and Ross Chandler have set high benchmarks for reporters and photographers. Our Web site has given the Rocky Mount community more access to news, sports, photos, features and commentary than the community ever has had before.
We see great efforts everyday on the parts of folks who don’t often get their names in the newspaper, too.
We have an innovative, tireless advertising staff. I’m amazed by the lengths our customer service reps go to when they’re trying to help a subscriber. I can’t tell you how many times our business staff has helped me out with budgeting and paying correspondents on time.
It was very tough, looking around at all those faces during our meeting today, wondering where we’ll all be in a year.
Rocky Mount has been great to me, great to my family and a great place to live. I hope to be here in five years, laughing at myself over the case of nerves we’re all feeling right now.
Thanks for reading us. Thanks for your support. Times are tough all over, but it’s a little easier in a community you love.
Comments
By Jim
August 13, 2008 10:56 PM | Link to this
The web page is great and you all do a good job informing the community with the facts. We appreciate it and will hope the new owner continues to run the paper with all of you like it is now.
Hang in. The community appreciates your service.
Rein in ElectriCities Spending
By Jim
August 13, 2008 11:00 PM | Link to this
Hang in there. We appreciate your service to our community. The paper has been fair in its reporting and rivals larger papers in the state so that speaks to the quality of the staff.
Jim
Rein in ElectriCities
By Curmilus Dancy II
August 14, 2008 1:22 AM | Link to this
Jeff & Crew. I have been very appreciative of the Rocky Mount Telegram over the years and especially when the papers went online. Why? Because I used to try to save all the articles that were of interest to me but it is more convient to access them online as needed.
I have held this paper accountable by expressing my concerns. I feel the dialogue has been great sharing my concerns and although sometimes I didn’t agree with the way some things were handled, I knew I could pick up the phone and call and have a discussion or communicate my concerns via email.
The internet is a powerful tool and therefore I understand what is going on.
I hope that the employees of the Telegram will be able to continue working in the same building.
I look forward to continuing my relationship with you and the crew as you provide me with product.
Curmilus Dancy II Visit me on the web
By ken
August 14, 2008 10:33 AM | Link to this
jeff, and Telegram staff, from a reader and supporter standpoint, I also understand the anxiety you all have.
you, the other staff, and the newspaper itself have played a major role in getting information out to the community— much of which we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.
anytime the possibility of job change is thrust on us without expectation—that’s stressful.. the unanswered questions… possibility of having to uproot family or self for a job move.. equally stressful..
you all have my deepest hopes for good news.
Cox can have many reasons for the selling off.. some that might not affect your day to day operations; selling while you are at peak performance gets bigger dollars.
many people feel that beyond the national economic issues, eastern north carolina suffers economically—- loss of small businesses who normally would advertise in newspapers must have an effect on the bottom line..
our thanks to you and the Telegram staff for serving us… there can also be other unspoken reasons, but we know the Telegram has and does serve us well.
a final thought: I subscribe to the print edition of the Telegram and hope you all continue in place— no doubt there are many locally who use the online services but don’t pay for a subscription—affecting the bottom line…
as a subscriber, I sure hope some final and good news comes for our Telegram staff— but understand business decisions can change at a whim.
good day to you all.
ken pledger
By Ricardo Dew
August 18, 2008 9:08 AM | Link to this
These are the true numbers for ElectriCities Contract Lobbyists
Electricities Contract Lobbyists January - December 2008 State Contract Lobbyists Kenneth Melton - $20,000 Jennie Dorsett - $30,000 Johnny Tillett - $30,000 Joyce Peters - $30,000 Gene Ainsworth - $30,000 Man/in Mussselwhite and David Barnes (1 contract/2 people) - $40,000 Federal Contract Lobbyist Robert Talley - $80,000
I am still awaiting the staff lobbyists salaries
By rochelle
August 18, 2008 10:43 PM | Link to this
Ricardo,
You got these numbers? Why are they so different from what the newspaper reported? What is going on? Does this paper realize you got a different set of numbers.
I am sick and tired of reading about all these costs when I am working twice as hard and it seems like they are spending twice as fast.
Rochelle