Oklahoma Gazette and OKCTalk.com announce merger

[Pete]

Their last print edition was May 31st and they haven't added any new content to their website since.

I suspect they are effectively out of business. I do know there was never any real revenue from digital so no way to sustain staff, even the last 3 'contractors' (full-time employees illegally reclassified as contract workers to avoid benefits and payroll taxes) that were left while printing.

[Pete]

It's now been over 2 full months since the Gazette ceased printing and "pivoted to digital" and the only new content that has been posted in almost 9 weeks is the horoscope.

[TheTravellers]

It's now been over 2 full months since the Gazette ceased printing and "pivoted to digital" and the only new content that has been posted in almost 9 weeks is the horoscope.

They're dead, Jim...

[Pete]

I think they may try and milk one more "Best of" go-round but good luck with that.

[Plutonic Panda]

Buy them out Pete. What are you waiting for!? Lol. It would be the perfect addition for a news publication for OKCTalk.

[Pete]

Buy them out Pete. What are you waiting for!? Lol. It would be the perfect addition for a news publication for OKCTalk.

I was willing to do it after the pandemic but my then-partner wasn't reasonable, so I sold him my interest, he took over and promptly lost a ton of money and drove the entire business into the ground.

Now, there is no real value left. They get next to zero web traffic (believe me, I know) and have very little engagement on social media.

I've mentioned this before but when I was there I would sometimes simultaneously post a story on the Gazette site and social media and then do the same with OKCTalk. OKCT would literally get thousands of times the traffic for the exact same article, no matter the subject.

[Mr. Blue Sky]

1240090[/URL]]I was willing to do it after the pandemic but my then-partner wasn't reasonable, so I sold him my interest, he took over and promptly lost a ton of money and drove the entire business into the ground.

Now, there is no real value left. They get next to zero web traffic (believe me, I know) and have very little engagement on social media.

I've mentioned this before but when I was there I would sometimes simultaneously post a story on the Gazette site and social media and then do the same with OKCTalk. OKCT would literally get thousands of times the traffic for the exact same article, no matter the subject.

If Pete would have a print publication today, the branding of OKCTalk would be premium to the Gazette.

[mugofbeer]

Hmmmmm, OKCGazette? OKGazette?

[fortpatches]

Hmmmmm, OKCGazette? OKGazette?

"We're not the best Gazette, but we're OK!"

[Sydonesia]

I think they may try and milk one more "Best of" go-round but good luck with that.

DING! DING! DING!

https://www.okgazette.com/best-of/20...-2023-11360150

[Bunty]

DING! DING! DING!

https://www.okgazette.com/best-of/20...-2023-11360150

So, the Garage in OKC has best burger. I'm not surprised. The Garage in Stillwater has better burgers and fries than Eskimo Joe's.

[Pete]

So, the Garage in OKC has best burger. I'm not surprised. The Garage in Stillwater has better burgers and fries than Eskimo Joe's.

I can tell you that over the last few years the voting became rigged based on who would buy advertising.

[TheTravellers]

I can tell you that over the last few years the voting became rigged based on who would buy advertising.

It's almost always been a popularity contest (lots of locations and lots of advertising play into it), never really been about the actual best (which is somewhat subjective, but usually fairly measurable).

[Pete]

^

But at least it was about counting actual votes.

That hasn't been the case since I left.

[WhateverFrecker]

^

But at least it was about counting actual votes.

That hasn't been the case since I left.

Just like the James Beard award. More Political than anything else.

[citywokchinesefood]

Just like the James Beard award. More Political than anything else.

Based. This is 100% true.

[TheTravellers]

Gazette is back from the dead, new print edition dated October is out, monthly now.

[barrettd]

Gazette is back from the dead, new print edition dated October is out, monthly now.

The Gazette, as I knew and loved it, died several years ago, never to return.

[Pete]

It's such a strange move.

My former business partner sold it to a new owner (likely just gave it away), who merely hired some of the same people, although I believe they all have other full-time jobs.

There is almost no advertising, which is the only source of revenue. Yet, you still have to pay people and the cost to physically print and distribute a publication is high and fixed. There is no way to make money with that business model.

They simply don't get any digital engagement. When I was there, we'd post the exact same story on both OKCTalk and the Gazette site, and Talk would literally get 1,000x the engagement #'s -- even if we posted on Gazette first.


Before the pandemic, we were deep into software development that would have been an aggregator for all independent local news (NonDoc, FreePressOKC, Oklahoma Voice, The Frontier, Gazette, OKCTalk, etc.) which I felt was the only way to stay relevant.

But I left, that got scrapped, and now they are just trying to do what they did in the 90s with the same exact content and approach.