Flooded town's paper behind paywall

Think about what goes into job satisfaction.

 

Nothing if you like working long hours for little pay and, after busting your ass to put out the best product you can, having management tell you it either 1.) Isn't good enough or 2.) Is so good that you can probably get by with less resources.

 

Nothing, but it's not as all encompassing as most young people expect. When you're living in a tiny town, far from friends and family, working long/evening hours, you might just realize there are other things that contribute to quality of life. And when you're pondering cutting your cable, and subsisting on an inordinately low-budget diet to try to make it to the next check, these things can limit satisfaction.

I know when I started my first job that first part quickly became apparent to me. I still like the job in a lot of ways, but it in itself does not completely satisfy me.

 

Here's an email exchange the other day that shows exactly why we need to examine our website policies, especially at small-town papers where we are often the only source, or at least by far the best source for news/sports, etc.

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Parent: Is there a link to the College Corner for today's paper? I can't locate it online, I heard you got Ali's info in there. Thanks!

My response: That's one of the things that is exclusive to the print product only, but yes, she does appear in today's edition of College Corner (It's on our Scoreboard page, 8A).

Parent: Rats, ok, I'll go buy one Thanks again.

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We've gotten to the point where our readership expects us to operate like a library and offer our product for free...no one can stay in business that way. We're starting discussions about how to proceed...hopefully a pay-wall. In the meantime, my policy is short web capsules of the main games, the first four graphs on features/previews.

My thought is that the web should be a place to go for a nightly recap of the basics, but if you want the real information on what's going on then you need to subscribe to the paper. Of course, if we put in a pay wall, I'll loosen things up. I don't care if you're reading the paper on newsprint or a laptop screen, as long as your paying for our work.

 

I'm dealing with that right now and not exactly enjoying it. Just living the dream.

 

You'd need $1 million for that. You're in journalism. Too bad.

 

I am still cracking up at the "while your paper remains closed to the public" part of the original post. I feel embarrassed for that guy's level of intelligence. I didn't realize the paper had gone out of business due to the flood? Seems like the paper was still producing, you know, papers.

We get complaints from time to time about full stories not being online. We do previews (about 100 words), with an encouragement at the end to buy that week's print copy or to call and subscribe. Our daily competitor and the local TV stations post most full stories/videos on their websites for free. I especially enjoy when people call to complain and tell me the local daily posts their stories for free. Goody for them. They have chosen to give away their product for free. I made the opposite choice.

 

I like women. Doesn't mean they just walk up to me and rip their clothes off.
The only sad part in all of this is whatever poster that said the paper still had layoffs. Whatever their pay model is didn't save them from the same fates the rest of face ... that this day could potentially be your last (especially if you are covering an Orioles game for the Baltimore Sun).

 

This has been one of the most satisfying threads I have seen on this site, and that is saying a lot.