Tuesday, November 2, 2010
NEWS
Denver Post circulation falls Weekday numbers decline more than nine percent By Gene Davis Special to the Mountaineer The Denver Post weekday circulation has decreased by more than 9 percent over the past year, according to official figures released last week. Meanwhile, Sunday circulation for the paper decreased 4.6 percent over the same timeframe. However, a press release issued by the newspaper positioned the decrease as a “minimal decline,” and chose instead to focus on the paper’s increase in Internet traffic. The Post said DenverPost.com has seen an 11-percent increase in online traffic over the past six months. “As soon as new platforms for viewing news, information and advertising are introduced, we’re making sure that The Denver Post brand is available on them,” said a statement from Denver Post President and Chief Executive Officer Jerry Grilly. However, L John Haile, former editor of the Orlando Sentinel and previous board member at the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Journalism and Mass Communications, doesn’t believe it’s an even trade for a paper to lose daily circulation and pick up online readers. Papers make a significant more amount of money for ads in print than online, and he believes most papers have been too slow to adapt to a changing landscape. Additionally, Haile doesn’t see the print circulation drop off ending any time soon for the Post. “The question is if there is such a loyal core that it (circulation decline) will bottom out,” he said. “There may be some core of newspaper readers out there, but that core is probably too small to support any serious newspaper model in the long term.” Newspaper circulation has been declining for about 40 years, according to Haile. The downward trend was kicked off in part by a demographic shift to the suburbs
and increase in the number of women working, though the recent economic downturn and rise of Internet news has accelerated the decrease, he said. To stave off the trend, Haile believes the major newspapers must figure out a way to make money by using online and a more modest print system. “The newspaper industry by and large keeps on trying to sell space in an electronic world,” he said. “You almost have to destroy the old in able to win. That takes a lot of courage.” James Pavelich, owner of the Vail Mountaineer and the Denver Daily News, believes the Denver Post doomed itself by giving away its news for free online. The majority of stories the paper has in its print copy, which requires money, are also accessible without cost on their Web site. “If Hollywood gave away their movies free the night before the premiere, they would be in the same situation,” he said. “If Starbucks delivered a free cup of coffee to your house when you first woke up, they wouldn’t be doing too well either.” Pavelich said publishing breaking news online does a disservice to a paper’s advertisers, who help pay the costs of putting that breaking news in print. “If a percentage of an advertiser’s bill goes into facilitating a website where that company’s ad will not be seen, then they’re actually paying to take eyes away from their product or service,” Pavelich said. “It undermines the effectiveness of the ad.” The Denver Post’s more than 9-percent weekday circulation drop off over the past year is well above the 4.99 percent newspaper circulation decline nationwide. The latest circulation numbers came as the Denver Post announced a partnership with satirical newspaper The Onion. Under the agreement, the Post will take on The Onion’s ad sales, printing and distribution.
Fire damages Avon condominium Eagle River Fire District responded to a fire at 438 Nottingham Road at approximately 4 p.m. this afternoon after a passerby noticed a fire burning on a lower deck of a condominium. A passing motorist stopped to render aid and poured some water on the fire until the arrival of the Avon Engine. Firefighters found the lower deck to the unit on fire along with the deck above it, smoldering. Firefighters extinguished the fire in about five minutes after finding much of the
lower deck destroyed. There was no fire damage to the interior of the home. One occupant was home at the time the fire broke out. The cause of the fire appears to be ashes from the fireplace that were taken outside to cool. The occupant believed he had extinguished all of the ash and embers, but the embers were still hot enough to rekindle and start the fire about 2 hours later,” said Charles Moore, Fire Chief for Eagle River Fire Protection. There were no injuries in the fire.
Some smoke entered the unit and firefighters used smoke ejectors to clear the home of smoke. “Damage is estimated at approximately $5,000 to $7,000 total to both decks,” Moore said. He stressed that even though fireplace ash may appear to be out after cooling them with water, they may not be completely out in the larger pieces of ember. Moore recommends disposing ash in a metal can with a lid and placing the ash can on a non-combustible surface to cool.
Vail Mountaineer
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