AZ Republic going behind paywall

I would love to believe that but I'm not sure, given the current state of the media market in Phoenix, that it holds true anymore. I think it used to, but not anymore.

This has all made me think about how the landscape used to look here when I was coming out of college, when the Trib was still a competitive daily and the Republic a much meatier product. So much has changed.

I do hope this works, though I'm not optimistic. I don't want Phoenix to become another city without a daily newspaper, but I more and more feel like these efforts are just warm-ups to cutting back the print product entirely and generating built-in excuses to do so. But, again, I hope this isn't the case.

 

Pretty simplistic view there, Frank. I wouldn't take the fact that people subscribe to newspapers as evidence that TV news is "vastly inferior." Major papers are killing off editions -- or shuttering completely -- while TV stations are increasing the number of hour devoted to news each day. Not sure that fits your view too neatly.

Newspapers and TV are indirect competitors. Their strong points are different. Newspapers can offer greater depth and greater variety. Any story that's even slightly visual can be better conveyed on TV, though, and TV is a vastly better medium for any breaking story.

But going head-to-head, online? With the web product the newspaper has in this town, you bet your ass we can compete. It's dominated by bimbo slideshows and old news. Any breaking news is (poorly) written by interns. It should be deeper in local content than the TV sites, but it's clunky to navigate and rarely updated. It had better improve dramatically if they're going to expect people to shell out $10 a month for it.

 

As someone who grew up in Phoenix, has the Republic's Dbacks champions cover hanging on my wall, checks AZcentral daily, this is very sad news. My parents still get the paper and probably still will, but living out of state I'm sure this will change my consumption of the writers and teams I enjoy following as well as news about home. Haven't really thought about how well it will work, but my initial feeling is disappointment that this cycle is starting for a paper I dreamed about working for.

 

PCLL, the latest stats I see, released this summer, say TV newsrooms in Top-25 markets average 68 full-timers and 7.3 part-timers. The Arizona Republic lists more than 400 newsroom staffers. I am skeptical that it's either an old list or includes some Hub people. Let's be conservative and say the Republic outstaffs you 3-1 to 4-1 rather than 6-1. Not a ratio you can overcome with customers who prefer to read the news, not merely passively look at it. Some of their readers may well become annoyed with the Republic site, but they will perceive the TV websites as being essentially useless, same way newspaper readers largely view the TV local broadcasts.

Unless you are among those who believe you can do more with less ... My experience is that in news-gathering, staff size almost always decides who wins consistently.

And again, I don't think $24 is much. If that's not worth it simply for the coupons, let alone all the content, I can't help you. I can't remember exactly what my publisher said, but it was along the lines of now we are down to the readers who really want us. Everyone's paying full-price, etc. The readers we lost are made up for by those willing to pay something approaching a realistic price for the traditional newspaper.

I predict this will work for the Republic, although perhaps not immediately.

 

I predict this is part of Gannett's overall strategy to make some quick hit-and-run cash off its newspapers in the next couple years before killing them.

But I am deeply pessimistic.

ETA: Also, while I generally think newspaper websites are superior to TV sites, PC is correct in this instance. The Republic's print product is still, I think, quite strong. It's still a decent paper. Part of why I find this ominous is because I'm afraid it's a sign the print edition will be gutted even more than it already has. But azcentral is often irritatingly nonsensical to navigate and actively drives me to other local news sites to find what I originally came to look for. And, yeah, the T&A photo galleries are ridiculous. I would not, as a user, envision myself having any trouble at all surviving without it given the other options in Phoenix-Metro media market.

 

We're doing this as well. But we're not upping the prices like the Republic. That's freaking crazy.

 

Frank,

The TV newsroom number is certainly in the ballpark. I suspect the Republic newsroom number is high, but can't say with any certainty. Either way, your point is correct -- the Republic staff is far larger than any TV newsroom in town.

That's an important thing for the print product, but I'm not sure how important it is on the web. Go to the front pages of the web sites and I don't think you'll see much of a difference. The content and look are quite similar. Once you really dig into the sub-pages you'll certainly find more locally-produced content on the Republic's site, but I don't think many readers do that online.

I'm not a big believer that you can do more with less -- but I think we can be competitive with the Republic's web product, and we're not charging $10 a month for it.

There's a case to be made that $24 isn't too much for a daily metro newspaper. You'll have a very hard time convincing someone who's currently paying $11 a month for it, while watching the quality (and size) of the paper plummet over the past few years. In a market with so many newsrooms at work I don't think this is likely to succeed, and I'll be very surprised if the paper still offers a print product more than 3 days a week by the end of next year.

Also, I suspect your notion that newspaper reader view TV newscasts as essentially useless is a bit off the mark. Newspaper readers also watch TV news. It's not an either/or proposition, and I would bet the crossover audience is very high.

 

You and I must be reading different websites. az central (and the Arizona Republic print edition) is very comprehensive, very respected and clearly to go-to place for news in Arizona. Nothing else comes close -- on-line or elsewhere. I do not see that changing anytime soon. I get the paper delivered and I read the website. I'll pay for access to both going forward -- just like I pay for the New York Times.

 

Enjoy those "hottest weekend party" slideshows.

 

Those aren't unique to azcentral.com, of course. It's all about driving web traffic I guess. They're a staple of, for example, the Chicago Tribune's web site as well.

The girls just show more skin in Arizona!

 

No need to pay more than $20 to get photo galleries that are a step above "Girls Gone Wild." The TV stations in a major market can compete with the crap Gannett throws out there.

 

Just updating to say the paywall is up. As a paying subscriber, the Republic emails me the e-edition "to enjoy Arizona Republic with your morning coffee."

Today it arrived in my inbox at 11:45 am. Apparently they're still working out the kinks in the e-mail paper route.