A SUBSTACK newspaper reports sad news about newspapers
The Charlotte Observer will soon lay off all its newspaper carriers - another sign of the rapidly-accelerating demise of the mainstream press.
I’m intrigued by the idea of talented journalists publishing high-interest stories via Substack. Because of my interest in this possible coming trend, a year ago I subscribed to a Substack newspaper, The Charlotte Ledger, upgrading to paid status today.
A recent article by a Ledger journalist is replete with eye-opening facts that quantify the demise of the traditional (print) “daily newspaper.”
(Note: It’s ironic - and telling - that this excellent journalism was produced by a journalist who worked at The Charlotte Observer from 2000 to 2020 … and now works for a Substack email newspaper - one that has “22,000+ subscribers,” according to Substack published metrics.)
The story notes that The Charlotte Observer will soon cease all home delivery via newspaper carriers and will now publish only three print editions a week (instead of six). Furthermore, these print editions will be mailed to subscribers through the U.S. Postal Service.
As the article depicts in sad detail, this means practically every newspaper carrier will lose their jobs.
The following excerpts from Christina Bolling’s story might be of interest to readers interested in the journalism or news business (emphasis and sub-headlines added by Bill Rice, Jr.).
Print circulation plunges 95 percent in 2 decades
“… In 2005, the Observer’s print circulation on Monday through Saturday was more than 222,000. … The Observer’s print circulation in March 2024 was 10,756 on weekdays or about 95% less than it was two decades earlier ..”
“… (After the) recession hit in 2008-2009, advertising revenue plunged, and it kept falling through the next decade. Observer parent company McClatchy saw an 84% drop in advertising revenue across its chain between 2005 and 2019, resulting in big cutbacks …”
“… The change, wrote Observer executive editor Rana Cash in a July article announcing the move, will allow The Observer to transition to a “digital forward newsroom that meets the expectations and demands of today’s news consumers.” She said print has “become cost-prohibitive and is limited by early deadlines.”
“The shift away from print is a worldwide phenomenon, as consumers increasingly prefer around-the-clock information on computers and cell phones, as opposed to once-a-day updates on paper. But that convenience also comes at a human cost.
One carrier’s story …
“… (Leigh) Robinson, 55, says she knew the day would arrive eventually.
“She’s seen it coming for years now, as newspapers got lighter and harder to fling, as stacks became smaller and as her route grew longer because her customers were becoming more spread apart. Streets on her route went from nearly every house taking the newspaper, to half of them subscribing — then a handful — then one — or none.
At her peak, 18 years ago, she delivered 800 copies of the Observer a night. Tonight, that number is down to 130.
“She remembers starting her route on Maryland Avenue with 125 Observers — nearly every home on the street took the paper. Now, only a couple of homes on Maryland take the paper, and she must drive 40 miles to deliver the same number she started with on her tight route 40 years ago.
“She almost hung it up last December when she realized she was clearing only a few thousand dollars per year in profit compared with two decades ago during newspapers’ glory days, when some carriers were able to bring in $50,000 to $60,000 on the most profitable routes …”
*** (News about trends in the news business might be worth sharing with others.) ***
Non-stop layoffs …
“… The Observer’s bureaus closed, and layoffs and buyouts became a constant theme across the company. Increasingly, customers wanted to read their news on screens instead of newsprint, and the newsroom focused on its digital product.
“Robinson says she noticed a drop in subscriptions each time the Observer raised rates.
“She saw cancellations when the newspaper ended the Saturday edition in 2020, and another drop in July when news broke that six-day-a-week morning delivery would end in September.
“… Robinson’s newspaper route paid for her first car. It funded her bachelor’s degree. It enabled her as a single mom to raise her kids, now 19 and 21, with her days free during their tender years and then later with extra niceties once they got older and she added on a full-time day job …”
Inside a quiet warehouse …
“… Warehouses like this one used to be hustle-bustle places with carriers navigating tall stacks of newspapers and each other, Robinson says. Tonight, there are just a few moving about, carrying small bundles out to their cars.
“One is Lew Glover, 69, who’s been delivering newspapers for 37 years. His nightly route takes him to Lake Wylie and the Palisades area in southwest Mecklenburg County. Some parts of his route require him to drive several miles to deliver a single copy. Like many carriers, he makes just 10 cents for every paper he delivers, so he receives a stipend from the contracted agent he works for to make it worth his while.
Caption: “Lew Glover has been a carrier for the Charlotte Observer for 37 years … In the glory days of newspapers, he said he could deliver 300 newspapers in an hour and a half because neighborhoods were so concentrated with subscribers. “Back then, everybody got it. I was like the mailman,” he said.
Very few carriers deliver the local newspaper today …
“It’s unclear how many carriers … still deliver the Charlotte Observer. McClatchy officials didn’t respond to questions from The Ledger about the number of carriers who deliver the newspaper.”
Newspaper carriers see things most of us (sound asleep) don’t see …
Me: I also found this quote interesting …
“Charlotte after dark: Robinson plans to write a book about some of the things she’s seen while delivering papers over the last 40 years.
“And then there is the truly weird stuff.
“I don’t know why men think they can just potty anywhere,” Robinson laughs …“If I really sat down and thought about it and counted how many male body parts I’ve seen,” she says, shaking her head. “There are things that you scratch your head, going, ‘If I drove by that again, would it have happened? Did I dream this?’ People are crazy.”
My comments: A self-inflicted wound
In my opinion, newspapers set the stage for their own demise by giving their content (their most important product) away for free on the Internet.
Also, in ever-increasing numbers, news consumers began to view the corporate-owned “mainstream” news organizations as biased, as journalists who forgot that the most vital role of the Fourth Estate is to the tell the truth regardless of whether these truths conflict with the “authorized narratives.”
Third, one of the easiest “work-arounds” families can utilize to respond to real inflation is to cancel paid subscriptions. In my opinion, professional journalists have never fully or accurately reported on the state of the real economy, particularly real inflation.
One alarming consequence of declining subscribers (and, thus, advertising) is the dwindling number of journalists available to cover local news. Cities large and small suffer when newspapers lack the number of journalists required to tell the stories that matter most to local citizens.
***
For more than a century, the first job of many young people was delivering the local newspaper to their neighbors. Decades ago, this job switched over to adult “independent contractors” who used middle-of-the-night paper routes to provide a second income.
And now these jobs are gone with the times.
Still, one suspects many citizens still want to be informed of local news and read stories (and see photos) about their neighbors, local businesses, their children’s sports teams and school events, as well as be aware of important community developments.
In my view, it’s entirely possible Substack will provide a work-around to the captured corporate press, one that allows the right entrepreneurs to provide what remains a vital community service.
To assess the root causes of this seismic cultural change, newspaper publishers, editors and journalists need look only in the mirror.
Substack readers can support their favorite journalists directly via paid subcriptions, Ko-Fi donations of any size and/or by sharing articles.
In my opinion, legacy media has been self-destructing by becoming nothing more than mouth pieces of the government and corporate propagand. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
I have great sympathy for the carriers but none for the mainstream media newspapers that all opted to be part of the propaganda arm of the left. And that’s the vast majority of them as we all know.