Southern RI-based Indepedent Newspaper group guts staff.

Like I said at the hockey game, I think such a tactic will backfire - it makes you look petty, like you're kicking a competitor when they're down. Also, much like Pepsi vs. Coke, you're probably at saturation point in your markets with the newspaper. (Meaning, if people in your towns actually want to read a paper, they probably know you both exist and have made their choice, or they don't care whether they get Pepsi or Coke.)

 

I'll respectfully disagree with you again Greenie.

Being a local paper, you're targeting a specific market, one that "cares about its community" (Which we all know is relatively BS). Being able to say that "We're in this community and (competing newspaper) isn't" DOES make a difference when you're talking to people who are comparing the two.

And, yes, I'll agree with you that at this point everyone in our area has chosen which paper they want. And there are strengths and weaknesses to both. As I've told you, I believe their news coverage is superior to ours (And this is coming from a news editor) at times and their local arts coverage is miles ahead of us but our sports coverage is vastly superior to their both in terms of content, coverage and photography and, let's be honest, half the people picking up local papers just want to see their kids/grandkid's name in print.

At the end of the day, this isn't some earth-changing event. No one outside of South County knows these papers exist/gives a crap. I know this because before I got the job here, I had never heard of either paper.

But inside South County? There's a war going on for local ad dollars, which seem to be drying up more and more every day. And, at the end of the day, if my company gets those dollars, I stay employed. If not, I don't.

So, as I said, I will root professionally for anything that could help my company, even if personally this depresses the shit out of me. It's the simple separation of business vs. pleasure.

 

Schieza, their office used to be there.

 

Hmm. The more you know.

 

You may win the ad dollars, sir, but a rising tide lifts all boats. One less newspaper on doorsteps/in mailboxes/at convenience stores means there's less of a chance of getting that customer in our virtual doors and to our websites in the first place.

And anywhere I've worked where there's been competition of some sort, it's made me a better journalist.