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Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by rpmmutant, Apr 20, 2009.

  1. rpmmutant

    rpmmutant Member

    This is priceless. What a desperate tactic to keep subscription numbers up.

    http://gawker.com/5219128/save-your-newspaper-dont-let-anyone-cancel
     
  2. Joe Williams

    Joe Williams Well-Known Member

    Feeble strategy, which makes it believable.

    I've got to think that, if you document your attempts to cancel, including dates and times of phone calls and photocopies of letters, you'd be safe from any sort of collection action, right?

    Just checking because I'll be cancelling a subscription or two in the near future.
     
  3. stix

    stix Well-Known Member

    On a somewhat related note, a buddy of mine that's still employed at the paper I got laid off from in October told me one of management's latest brilliant think-tank ideas was to consider asking reporters to try to sell subscriptions in their spare time, with perhaps some type of commission as a reward.

    They didn't stoop to that, but I was wondering if anyone else has heard of this.
     
  4. crimsonace

    crimsonace Well-Known Member

    I worked for a circ director that used to never remove cancellations from the subscription rolls, therefore forcing the carriers to keep delivering to places who weren't paying (and therefore eat the cash).

    When he got caught, he ran fast. And the newspaper's circulation dropped rather substantially. Same thing happened at 3 different shops he was at ... including one where he was publisher.

    But not after his book-cooking scheme was used as a convenient excuse to can an editor (the "cancellations" were concerning, he claimed ... circulation got the numbers up, editorial isn't keeping them up).
     
  5. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    If you pay for a subscription through automatic credit card billing, go through them after you've tried with the paper. You shouldn't be on the hook to pay anymore.

    I'm paying $5 a month for a Thurs/Sun subscription to my local "major" paper and am probably overpaying by about $4.50.
     
  6. DanOregon

    DanOregon Well-Known Member

    Maybe the LADN's consumer reporter will take it up? Or at least one of the local TV stations.
    Can't wait for the LADN response, it wasn't a scheme it was just bad customer service.
     
  7. deskslave

    deskslave Active Member

    Yes, yes we have. It's not all that uncommon, sadly.
     
  8. MileHigh

    MileHigh Moderator Staff Member

    Apparently, the Denver Post (owned by MediaNews) hasn't been able to keep enough Rocky Mountain News subscribers. So there's a push on now that if you take home delivery of the Post, you'll get a free poster.

    Of the final front page of the Rocky Mountain News.

    Someone sent me the ad/coupon for it. In the upper right corner it says "WE WANT YOU BACK."
     
  9. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    Wow.

    Nothing should blow my mind, but that does.
     
  10. 2muchcoffeeman

    2muchcoffeeman Well-Known Member

    Lean Dean hard at work here.
     
  11. slappy4428

    slappy4428 Active Member

    Then you shouldn't have left.
     
  12. Joe Williams

    Joe Williams Well-Known Member

    They hired about 10 journalists who had the RMN fold under them, right? With the belief that readers would follow their favorite columnists to the other side?

    Doesn't surprise me if the numbers don't back that up. Individual journalists with high profiles (never mind grunts and inside crew) rarely have delivered circulation numbers when they have switched papers in better, competitive-market times. Guess it's understandable they wouldn't do that in crisis times either.
     
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