Argus Leader continuing to cut costs… by charging subscribers for three days at once

@SoDakCampaigns

After they’ve announced they’re moving print production to another state, Gannett Newspapers are already finding ways to save money. By charging subscribers for three days worth of newspapers when they’re only sending one. At least, that’s what the e-mail they just sent out seems to say:

We want to inform you the Argus Leader will combine the Dec. 23, Dec. 24 and Dec. 25 editions into a singular, expanded holiday edition that will be delivered on Thursday, Dec. 23. No separate editions will be printed Friday, Dec. 24, and Saturday, Dec. 25. For purposes of your subscription, this expanded edition will count as three editions.

Similarly, for the New Year holiday, the Argus Leader will combine the Dec. 30, Dec. 31, and Jan. 1 editions into a singular, expanded holiday edition that will be delivered on Thursday, Dec. 30. No separate editions will be printed Friday, Dec. 31, and Saturday, Jan. 1. For purposes of your subscription, this expanded edition will count as three editions.

Wait, what?

So, next month for people who have subscribed to the print edition, they will be delivering two editions instead of the six they’re charging you for? (But now you can get the crossword puzzle on-line.)

 

9 thoughts on “Argus Leader continuing to cut costs… by charging subscribers for three days at once”

  1. I was a 40 year subscriber to the Argus and have cancelled my subscription not because of any content, editorial or otherwise but due to the worst customer relations I have ever encountered. When my checking account was charged $55 for the paper I decided it was time to go digital. I called customer service and switched to a digital account with a Sunday delivery of a real paper. Everything went fine until I received notice that I had read my 5 free articles for the month and was hit for a promotion for a digital account. To make a very long story short I contacted their customer service on five separate occasions, usually waiting 40 minutes or more on the phone, to explain that I had a digital account (which they confirmed) and was told they had fixed the problem which they had not. I had one of their reps hang up on me (and I was being nice) when she said that she had fixed the problem and didn’t know what my problem was. I know of a number of former subscribers who have encountered similar problems with their customer service. They have no to blame for their decline but their business and customer service practices…not their journalism.

  2. Rapid City Journal did something similar months ago, they no longer print Sunday and Monday papers but have them available online. Subscription prices did not go down even though you are only getting about 70% of what you used to.

    I am sympathetic to the newspaper industry and think local journalism is important but there have to be innovations other than less content but same price.

  3. It has been sad to see the decline of our newspapers. I’m getting old I guess, but I remember the days when the SF, RC, and Pierre papers were very full. You might disagree with their content, but at least they had plenty of it.

    But times change… and they have certainly changed for newspapers. We as readers want our news fast so we have turned to the Internet to get it now and often times free. This began a vicious cycle for the newspapers – cut reporters and other costs and lose subscribers and then cut days and more content and lose more subscribers and more advertisers. Frankly – the legal notices should probably go next. Publishing them in the newspaper really doesn’t get very far any longer.

    I wonder if we the future of journalism should be as nonprofits – make enough to pay reporters. SD News Watch has been interesting to watch – maybe that’s a better model? One can certainly see some of our daily newspapers going away entirely.

  4. Did you fellows miss the part where they said the Crossword will still be available every day? That Sioux Falls rag really has their priorities in the right spot. The Crossword. BuwahahaHAHAHA. The Crossword.

  6. The Argus and RCJ have no personality any more. They used to have columnists and reporters you wanted to read even if you disagreed: Kranz, Whitney, Young; Woster, Lindner, Ross. Now it’s a bunch of 24 yr olds with no local or historical knowledge of issues and too much ego to cultivate sources and learn.

    Both papers are pushing readers to paid digital. Too many other free news sites for that to work.

    1. I remember their local critic, I think Marshall was part of his name. He pretty much hated everything, but I believe he sold papers. At least there were always letters to the editor complaining about him.
      When I was a kid and sometimes helped deliver the paper, there were times when we could barely lift the newspaper bag. Today, the newspaper has nothing to speak of in it.

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