newspapers on Christmas

[jakewriter82]

I'm not being rhetorical here, I'm truly wondering why do papers print for Christmas day?
I understand advertisers want people to read the paper to see their ads, but realistically, how many people open the newspaper on Christmas?
Even if people do read the paper, who in their right mind goes shopping on Christmas? Nevermind the fact that 90 percent of stores are closed.

I might be guilty of not seeing the big picture here, I'll be working again on Christmas eve and Christmas day -- but I just don't see the point of putting out some bull**** local and AP stories for Christmas day that hardly anyone reads.

 

[pressboxramblings07]

Our paper has never published a Christmas Day paper. Of course, it is a family owned paper.

 

[mike311gd]

Just to **** us off a little bit more.

 

[a_rosenthal]

Because the ads are in there. People check the ads out and go to the stores at 4 a.m. the next day, before the next edition would be published.
Plus, the world doesn't stop on Dec. 24. Not to mention the fact that not everybody celebrates Christmas.

 

[ColbertNation]

The paper I worked at while in college didn't print on major holidays (Christmas, New Years, Easter, July 4th, Labor Day and Thanksgiving - I think that's all of them). I thought that was the norm until I got my first job out of college and asked them what holidays they didn't print. They all looked at me like I had three heads and then laughed.
But I enjoyed it at that paper. You would get a day off before the holiday b/c they didn't print, and then time-and-a-half to work on the holiday and put out the next day's paper. Pretty sweet deal.

 

[Breakyoself]

it's just tuesday to me.

 

[bagelchick]

It's all about the ads and the inserts.......I would think most major newspapers print 365 days a year. The Christmas day issue (and T-giving) weighs about 25 lbs. because of all the inserts in it.

 

[pallister]

For the most part, the papers that come out in and around the holidays are pretty useless from a content standpoint. However, as someone mentioned previously, news can happen anytime, anywhere. If you decide not to print for Christmas Day and a big story happens Christmas Eve, you're gonna look pretty stupid. Especially so if you're in a competitive market.

 

[Batman]

Small, family owned paper where I work has no Christmas Day issue. We're also a p.m., so we'll do our normal edition on Monday -- as a double issue -- and then come back on Wednesday morning. Not a bad deal.
Most holidays we'll do the regular edition the day before, then come back that afternoon and do the holiday edition. Just switch to an AM cycle for the holiday, then back to a PM when we return, with the holiday off for everyone.
Oh, and eight hours of holiday pay on the day off. God, I love this place.

As for content, that's when you save your nice big tearjerker features for. Fills up half a section AND fits in with the holiday theme.

 

[doctor x]

Also a vehicle for ponderous "YEAR IN REVIEW" pieces.

"(Insert year here) was a year of triumph and tragedy, a year of hellos and goodbyes, of good times and bad, of high achievement and dismal failure, of victory and defeat, tears and laughter...

"It was the year . . . THAT WAS!"

 

[friend of a friend]

I might be guilty of not seeing the big picture here

You are correct

Not to mention the fact that not everybody celebrates Christmas.

Hope this helps

 

[jakewriter82]

I might be guilty of not seeing the big picture here

You are correct

Not to mention the fact that not everybody celebrates Christmas.

Hope this helps

Good points my friend....of a friend.
One plus has been that since I'm not celebrating Christmas anywhere I've gotten to open all my gifts a few days early.
But ya, I'd still rather have the day off.

 

[Angola!]

I would think Christmas Day papers would be some of the most read of the year. For those that celebrate Christmas you open gifts and then you do a whole lot of sitting around the house, so random folks are more inclined to read the paper.

Plus, maybe it's just me, but when I'm on vacation I tend to read the newspaper more because I like to see what other cities do.

 

[John]

On Christmas morning I will be at my parents' house and I will read the Athens paper, the Atlanta paper and the NY Times — all of which they get every day.

I'll open presents first, most likely, but I'll get to them. My parents will do the same.

At the same time, I don't expect to find that much in any of them, so it won't take me very long.

 

[JayFarrar]

We always used to run the football all-area team in the Christmas edition.
Because of the ads, we'd have a big sports section since we were printed in tandem with A. So sports was always as big as the A section and it was jammed full of ads and we were wide open.
Plus everything could be done in advance, so with the early deadline, doing the sports section was a snap.
The reality is, that come Christmas afternoon, at most places you are going to be looking for something to do and reading the paper is something to do.

 

[a_rosenthal]

The real question for me is why they print during big blizzards. We had a pretty big snow out here last year, all roads shut down. I had to walk to the office to put out the sports section. It had no local content and no state wire content.
It was never delivered. Seems like a waste of 30,000 newspapers to me.

 

[HejiraHenry]

Our paper has never published a Christmas Day paper. Of course, it is a family owned paper.

Same here, a nice holdover from the days when this paper was family owned.

 

[wickedwritah]

The more "useless" paper to me is Dec. 26. What do you even run in there?

Nothing is going on.

Stores are closed.

For sports, there's no games, except two NBA games. Heck, no Blue-Gray Game or Aloha Bowl (always a Christmas fave) anymore.

 

[sportschick]

Rodeo standings

 

[wickedwritah]

Rodeo standings

I'm not even gonna react. Nope. Not gonna start the cowboy wars again. Not going to encourage SC to post a pic of a cowboy lying flat on his back. Nope.

Dead. To. Me.