Charging for obits

[sporting_guista]

Question: Do your papers charge for obits? My mom's aunt died and the local rag wanted $370 for a six-inch obit and pic; minimum is $195/four inches.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

Um, yes.

 

[DirtyDeeds]

Yes. And when my mom died last year we had to run it in three or four papers because she had lived in a few different places for a while. I was stunned by how much it cost. I knew we charged something for them, but the prices were obscene.

 

[2underpar]

we charge by the word, and occasionally we cut off funeral homes that don't pay. i think if you work here, you get the half-price rate.

 

[jlee]

Yup. We started charging about a year ago and haven't seen a drop in obits, so I guess it was a smart move on the paper's part.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Charging for obits is not a recent development at a lot of papers.

 

[Point of Order]

Someone should start an all-obit newspaper.

 

[redsox99]

We charge nothing for the standard obit. But if the family wants it in their own wording, they pay for it. And most funeral homes add an obit fee regardless of if the papers charge or not.

 

[sporting_guista]

We charge nothing for the standard obit. But if the family wants it in their own wording, they pay for it. And most funeral homes add an obit fee regardless of if the papers charge or not.

I thought this was std practice now redsox, thanks. guess not tho.

 

[micke77]

yep, our paper charges for obits. started the trend, oh, probably six or seven years ago. i have never agreed with it, but such is the way many papers have gone. damn, one can't even pass away without having to pay somebody for the deed.

 

[sportschick]

Most places a death notice is free. The obit is paid.

 

[Moderator1]

Obits are considered part of classified advertising now, I believe.

 

[micke77]

yep, that is what our management says: it's part of classified advertising.

 

[HejiraHenry]

yep, that is what our management says: it's part of classified advertising.

Not here, thank you.

A standard obit runs free, beyond a certain length it's a paid deal.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Someone should start an all-obit newspaper.

It might go. Some of the things that people want are odd.

Up until about the mid-80s, my old hometown paper (about 45K) printed the patient admissions/discharges provided by local hospitals. They only dropped it because the hospitals decided to stop providing the information.

 

[pseudo]

Someone should start an all-obit newspaper.

It might go. Some of the things that people want are odd.

Up until about the mid-80s, my old hometown paper (about 45K) printed the patient admissions/discharges provided by local hospitals. They only dropped it because the hospitals decided to stop providing the information.

Our local dailies still do, for the area hospitals that make that info public. (Some people do appreciate visitors and get-well cards.) When filling out admissions forms at those hospitals, patients are asked whether or not they want their name included.

To be honest, I'm not sure about our policy on obits, because I've never had to deal with them before now. Guess I'll find out soon.

 

[ballscribe]

Our paper charges a fortune. When my dad died last year, I wrote a tribute to him with a photo, maybe 1/8 of the page. I got half-price because I'm an employee, and it was nearly $1700.

 

[spikechiquet]

Someone should start an all-obit newspaper.

...and name it "The Doornail"

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

Someone should start an all-obit newspaper.

It might go. Some of the things that people want are odd.

Up until about the mid-80s, my old hometown paper (about 45K) printed the patient admissions/discharges provided by local hospitals. They only dropped it because the hospitals decided to stop providing the information.

Our local dailies still do, for the area hospitals that make that info public. (Some people do appreciate visitors and get-well cards.) When filling out admissions forms at those hospitals, patients are asked whether or not they want their name included.

Ours stopped doing that years ago. Seems that many of those people found their houses had been burgled in their absence.

 

[I'll never tell]

It might scream weekly, but I don't understand why we don't run birth announcements. Obviously for a fee.

You're telling me people would buy the **** out of them?