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April 30 marks APA Editorial Contest deadline APA Legislative Review
Arkansas Press Association
Publisher Weekly Vol. 16 | No. 16 | Thursday, April 22, 2021 | Serving Press and State Since 1873
Newspapers push to attract post-pandemic advertisers Industry experts predict most advertising sectors to remain sluggish at least until next year, when it is likely advertising spending will return to pre-pandemic levels. In the meanwhile, Arkansas’s newspapers continue to seek ways to engage readers and find ways to increase revenue. At the Saline Courier in Benton, Publisher Kelly Freudensprung acknowledged that, like at other newspapers, emerging from the pandemic has been somewhat of a challenge. “Kick-starting advertising hasn’t been as easy as I thought it would,” Freudensprung said. “I expected pent-up demand from our readers and shoppers, and that the need for our retail businesses to get customers back in their stores would drive sales, but it hasn’t moved as quickly as I have hoped.” Continued on Page 2
Jonesboro Sun drops Sunday edition, shifts to USPS delivery Jonesboro Sun Publisher Reece Terry told readers in a letter in Tuesday’s Sun that the newspaper will launch a new and expanded “weekend edition” to be published each week on Saturday. The weekend Sun will take the place of the Sunday edition, starting May 1.
carrier and instead use the U.S. Postal Service to deliver the mail. Terry told readers mail delivery will “help ensure or customers receive The Sun in the most reliable way possible.” He noted that the newspaper’s e-edition will continue to be accessible each publication day by 5 a.m.
At that same time, The Jonesboro Sun reduced its publication frequency from seven days a week to five days a week, dropping the Monday and Saturday editions. Under the new structure, the newspaper will continue to publish five days per week.
In addition, on April 27 the Jonesboro Sun will cease home delivery by newspaper
The Sun is the last Paxton Media-owned newspaper in Arkansas to drop its Sunday edition in favor of a weekend publication, and is also the last to convert to mail delivery. Paxton newspapers in Paragould, Searcy, Conway and Russellville all shifted to mail delivery early last year at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Terry said the new weekend edition will feature much of the content from the traditional Sunday newspaper, including “color comics, Parade magazine, and our TV Entertainment book in addition to advertising circulars and specials to help our readers better plan their weekend shopping.”