OPUBCO / Oklahoman Business Practices

[SoonerDave]

Yes, I didn't realize that classifieds were such a huge source of income for newspapers and of course that revenue has almost completely vanished.

They also make good money off obituaries and wedding announcements. The former is something that absolutely should change, as it's outrageous to charge so much money for what should be a public service.

I think the escalation in prices for those kinds of announcements are just indicative of the scramble the industry is in amid a failing effort to make the existing model match today's business realities. Unless you're a society type where money isn't so much of an issue, the idea of publishing a wedding announcement with a photo is now an absurd expense and most/many just skip it. Obituaries vary a great deal, however; I think people tend to want to memorialize a life in that way and are more willing to spend the money..nothing empirical there, just a feeling.

Then there are always the "legal" notices that have to be published IAW court proceedings, and if that's not an anachronism, I don't know what is. I remember when a family member handled a relative's estate and there were seemingly always "publication notices" for this or that related to some aspect of resolving the estate...

[SoonerDave]

Pete,
Eventually, you will be right, but I live in an independent living facility (old folks home/retirement home) and I am one of about three people out of thirteen apartments that own a computer. Part of my facility is an assisted living center with probably fifty small apartments and I have not talked to anyone that had a computer, so the print media is still important to them. But I do understand/know the need for the paper is dwindling and will not be around much longer.
C. T.

You know, some smart apple could come up with an app that does an "auto pull" of a "new" print version of a "paper" that could then just be routed to a local printer - all automatically. All someone like you would do, C.T., is visit your printer each morning and it would be sitting there in the output stack, ready to pick up and read at your leisure. ..

[Pete]

You know, some smart apple could come up with an app that does an "auto pull" of a "new" print version of a "paper" that could then just be routed to a local printer - all automatically. All someone like you would do, C.T., is visit your printer each morning and it would be sitting there in the output stack, ready to pick up and read at your leisure. ..

Even without a computer an electronic reader (like a Kindle) is generally better for the elderly because you can increase the print size, etc.

They are super inexpensive these days (well under $100) and you can check books out from the library for free and the library also offers lots of magazines on-line for free.


I used to work for a company that operated retirement communities; everything from independent living to skilled nursing. And as volunteer work, I set up computer labs at many of our facilities then taught people how to use them.

The elderly often feel more isolated than most and therefore connecting them through electronics is more important in many ways than the general population.

I remember the face of an older man once I set up his email account that allowed him to stay in touch with his grandkids! There are also tons of on-line support groups and medical info that is very valuable to the aged.


I know not all people of older generations are willing to embrace technology but my experience was that most embrace it once you demonstrate how it can expand their world.

[SoonerDave]

Even without a computer an electronic reader (like a Kindle) is generally better for the elderly because you can increase the print size, etc.

They are super inexpensive these days (well under $100) and you can check books out from the library for free and the library also offers lots of magazines on-line for free.


I used to work for a company that operated retirement communities; everything from independent living to skilled nursing. And as volunteer work, I set up computer labs at many of our facilities then taught people how to use them.

The elderly often feel more isolated than most and therefore connecting them through electronics is more important in many ways than the general population.

I remember the face of an older man once I set up his email account that allowed him to stay in touch with his grandkids! There are also tons of on-line support groups and medical info that is very valuable to the aged.


I know not all people of older generations are willing to embrace technology but my experience was that most embrace it once you demonstrate how it can expand their world.

Absolutely true - I was simply thinking that, sometimes, having just a physical piece of paper to read provides a kind of traditional use that nothing electronic can duplicate.

[Pete]

Absolutely true - I was simply thinking that, sometimes, having just a physical piece of paper to read provides a kind of traditional use that nothing electronic can duplicate.

Right, and at least for the foreseeable future there will always be some people who need/want that hard copy.

[ctchandler]

You know, some smart apple could come up with an app that does an "auto pull" of a "new" print version of a "paper" that could then just be routed to a local printer - all automatically. All someone like you would do, C.T., is visit your printer each morning and it would be sitting there in the output stack, ready to pick up and read at your leisure. ..

SoonerDave,
What's an "App"? Ok, I'm a retired IT man with over forty years in information technology, so I know what an app is, but believe it or not, I don't have a "Smart Phone" so without my computer, I'm out of luck. I have a flip phone that doesn't have texting capabilities. Lots of folks where I live don't even have a cell phone. By the way, I'm not one that receives a hard copy, I have been reading the DOK online since they brought it online in the early 2000's. Really nice, when I was traveling to Europe, my friend would shower and do her thing while I read the paper.
C. T.

[ctchandler]

Even without a computer an electronic reader (like a Kindle) is generally better for the elderly because you can increase the print size, etc.

They are super inexpensive these days (well under $100) and you can check books out from the library for free and the library also offers lots of magazines on-line for free.


I used to work for a company that operated retirement communities; everything from independent living to skilled nursing. And as volunteer work, I set up computer labs at many of our facilities then taught people how to use them.

The elderly often feel more isolated than most and therefore connecting them through electronics is more important in many ways than the general population.

I remember the face of an older man once I set up his email account that allowed him to stay in touch with his grandkids! There are also tons of on-line support groups and medical info that is very valuable to the aged.


I know not all people of older generations are willing to embrace technology but my experience was that most embrace it once you demonstrate how it can expand their world.

Pete,
Good point about the Kindle. You are absolutely right about older generations, but I'm 73 and as I mentioned to SoonerDave, over forty years in IT. I have a 27" IMac and I have macular degeneration (vision problems) so I have had to increase my font size to read thinks like OKCTalk. I will definitely look into the Kindle.
C. T.

[ctchandler]

Pete and SoonerDave,
Have either of you seen the "Print Replica" option at the DOK web site? The paper is scanned and loaded daily and you can see about ten versions of the paper, today's and the previous nine days. It's pretty good for people like me that want to read the paper like we/I have since the 50's.
C. T.

[baralheia]

You know, some smart apple could come up with an app that does an "auto pull" of a "new" print version of a "paper" that could then just be routed to a local printer - all automatically. All someone like you would do, C.T., is visit your printer each morning and it would be sitting there in the output stack, ready to pick up and read at your leisure. ..

10-15 years ago, HP used to have an application that was bundled with their printers to do exactly that - you select the internet news sources you want, select the days and time you want it to print, and then on that schedule it would print out the day's news stories for you. Neat idea but it didn't work very well back then - partially because the computer had to stay on for it to work.

[Bellaboo]

I got a letter in the mail yesterday apologizing for the lack of quality service during their transition to printing in Tulsa.

What bothers me most is that they are not putting the NBA box scores on a lot of games until the following day. They just tell you to check the online version of the paper.

[SoonerDave]

I got a letter in the mail yesterday apologizing for the lack of quality service during their transition to printing in Tulsa.

What bothers me most is that they are not putting the NBA box scores on a lot of games until the following day. They just tell you to check the online version of the paper.

Sounds to me like the DOK got more flak than they expected. Tramel was on the radio last night saying they were "working on some things." It would be indicative of an incomprehensible lapse in foresight to not have knowm how these new deadlines would affect the paper.

[Pete]

The change seems to be exaggerating their biggest issue: Taking print news that is already old and making it older by having earlier deadlines due to the print distance.

[ctchandler]

E. K. Gaylord must be turning over in his grave! He was such a people person and would not have been happy with what is going on. Back in his day, you could call him at home (yes, he was listed in the phone book) and express your displeasure. I don't think he personally answered the phone, but he had staff at his home that would pass the information on.
C. T.

[Richard at Remax]

To add on to everyone else I think it is really embarrassing and might be the end for the newspaper in print form.

At lunch today I grabbed the sports section. We had a historic night in the world series last night with the Cubs, nowhere to be found. Thunder won a big game. Nowhere to be found.

Except a small headline on the top to tell us to go online. What a joke.

[Pete]

To add on to everyone else I think it is really embarrassing and might be the end for the newspaper in print form.

At lunch today I grabbed the sports section. We had a historic night in the world series last night with the Cubs, nowhere to be found. Thunder won a big game. Nowhere to be found.

Except a small headline on the top to tell us to go online. What a joke.

I wonder if they'll cover those things in tomorrow's paper or just skip those stories completely in print?

[Bellaboo]

To add on to everyone else I think it is really embarrassing and might be the end for the newspaper in print form.

At lunch today I grabbed the sports section. We had a historic night in the world series last night with the Cubs, nowhere to be found. Thunder won a big game. Nowhere to be found.

Except a small headline on the top to tell us to go online. What a joke.

In previous years when the Thunder had a Los Angeles game which starts 30 minutes later than the rest of the West coast (Sac, Portland & GSW), they still had a blurb and box score of the game.

Not any more. This may determine my thoughts on renewing at the first of the year. Just pisses me off how far they've dropped over night.

The letter that I received stressed getting the paper delivered on time. I am more concerned about current up to date content.

[Jim Kyle]

it's outrageous to charge so much money for what should be a public service.

It actually WAS a public service back in the mid to late 50s. When I moved over to the Oklahoman as its rewrite man, in 1956, my first duty after coming to work at 4:30 p.m. was to phone all the funeral homes and collect phone numbers for next-of-kin, then call and get the information to write a two-to-three paragraph obit. Once those were done I went to the Weather Wire (a TTY machine on the Weather Bureau's loop) and got the data to write the mandatory weather story. Once those were done, I waited for my phone to ring with an incoming call from one of the reporters out in the field, and took their stories by dictation over the phone.

[Jim Kyle]

The change seems to be exaggerating their biggest issue: Taking print news that is already old and making it older by having earlier deadlines due to the print distance.

The insanity of that logic is NOT new. Toward the end of my stint with OPubCo, the Powers That Be decided to publish a Sunday edition for sale in distant markets such as L.A. and NYC, that went to press in the wee hours of Saturday morning. I was assigned to put the whole thing together, working overnight (11 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday). The hardest part was writing a weather story about Saturday's happenings, before they happened. My suggestion of "Cloudy except where sunny, dry except where it rained" was not received with enthusiasm.

The project lasted only a few weeks, as I recall.

[SoonerDave]

Interestingly enough, it appears that the OKlahoman has just "reinvented" their website and seems to have gone 100% paywall now. AT least every link I clicked took me to a login/$10/month page, even the sports articles.

[JohnH_in_OKC]

I was wondering if a paywall would make more sense to building revenue for the Oklahoman. Since paid classified ads have become archaic and grocery ads mainstays like Buy for Less have abandoned the Oklahoman, the Oklahoman had to do something to financially maintain its front section, business and sports departments. The obits and the remaining advertisers just don't bring enough income to support all the free newspaper lookie-lookers from its website.

I myself subscribed to the Oklahoman during college, during my military service overseas and after I moved back to OKC in the early 80's. I've been disappointed with the lack of late evening news and sports during the last month & received the Oklahoman's management letter of apology in the mail last week. I can't complain, though, since my subscription costs have been reduced substantially since I retired & live off social security.

To me, the best answer is for the Oklahoman to offer a print version to sell at convenience stores, vending machines and deliver to those who still want a printed paper. This can still be printed in Tulsa & sent to Oklahoma City and elsewhere with an early deadline. The current price of the Oklahoman with print and web access is only $12 per month. The digital only version is just $9.99 per month.

I think that free web access to the Oklahoman should be limited to 10 stories per month plus the obits and advertising should have free unlimited access since these are paid for by the advertisers. $10 per month is not unreasonable for all the content that the Oklahoman provides in my opinion. Special prices or even free access should be provided to families of Oklahoma students and that should be offered through the public schools systems of the state. I know my early childhood development was strongly influenced by daily reading of the Oklahoman (and I turned out to be a liberal in spite of knowing & respecting E. K. Gaylord & having a very conservative family). Mr. Gaylord went to my church (Pilgrim Congregational). I always just thought independently but I liked Mr. Gaylord.

I do think the online version of the Oklahoman should have a deadline of at least 2 am to 4 am so that sports from the West Coast are fully reported. I plan to buy a tablet with at least a 10 to 12 inch screen just to read the digital version of the Oklahoman if it has a late deadline. I can always read the latest news at home with my 32 inch monitor/TV attached to my laptop. But I like to read the Oklahoman at breakfast (often at a local fast food restaurant) & I may have to get used to reading it on a large tablet.

[stile99]

I can't complain, though, since my subscription costs have been reduced substantially since I retired & live off social security.

The current price of the Oklahoman with print and web access is only $12 per month.

My Father is pretty much the same situation, he's retired, social security, does have a small pension in addition to that, to be completely honest. He liked reading the paper, and he is certainly not the type to be reading it on the computer and/or tablet (take a guess who got called to change the clocks this morning). That $12/month is only for the Sunday paper (with a Wednesday 'bonus'), the last quote they gave him that made him say no, this isn't worth it was north of $200. It basically boiled down to pretty much the same price as getting it at the store or a dispenser, I think when figured it was like a "month free" or something. Even at $12/month for just the Sunday, that's $144 for 52 issues, a cost of just over $2.75 per paper. If you roll in the cost of the 'bonus' Wednesday edition, that's $2.25 for the Sunday paper.

Now again, my Father is not going to be getting one byte of information from the website. So telling him he gets "full access" means absolutely nothing to him. If the Oklahoman really had an interest in keeping subscribers to the print edition, they would come up with a plan that doesn't include web access, and actually presents a savings to the customer in return for the guaranteed income. But instead, as mentioned earlier, they consider such a deal to be a "liability" rather than "life blood".

[SoonerDave]

My Father is pretty much the same situation, he's retired, social security, does have a small pension in addition to that, to be completely honest. He liked reading the paper, and he is certainly not the type to be reading it on the computer and/or tablet (take a guess who got called to change the clocks this morning). That $12/month is only for the Sunday paper (with a Wednesday 'bonus'), the last quote they gave him that made him say no, this isn't worth it was north of $200. It basically boiled down to pretty much the same price as getting it at the store or a dispenser, I think when figured it was like a "month free" or something. Even at $12/month for just the Sunday, that's $144 for 52 issues, a cost of just over $2.75 per paper. If you roll in the cost of the 'bonus' Wednesday edition, that's $2.25 for the Sunday paper.

Now again, my Father is not going to be getting one byte of information from the website. So telling him he gets "full access" means absolutely nothing to him. If the Oklahoman really had an interest in keeping subscribers to the print edition, they would come up with a plan that doesn't include web access, and actually presents a savings to the customer in return for the guaranteed income. But instead, as mentioned earlier, they consider such a deal to be a "liability" rather than "life blood".

I always hate the chronic oversell of the so-called "value proposition" - the Oklahoman does this by selling what they call the "premium" experience. Premium? For reading a newspaper article? Premium? Premium is a gasoline. Premium means something exceptional. Not what you've always *been* getting in just a different form. It'd be like a restaurant charging you $10 extra to put your order in the queue immediately, but call it the "Premium Preparation Lane" in the kitchen, or purposely waiting 10 minutes and putting it in the "regular preparation lane." "Full access" is just a different spin on the same thing. Sell that value proposition. Oh, well, they've got to make a living, I suppose.

There's just no future in it. Content sells, not just access, and for me the Oklahoman's content died a long time ago. Others still like it, that's cool, too. C'est la vie.

[Pete]

Steve mentioned in his chat today that the Oklahoman is hiring back Jack Money to cover the retail beat.

Brianna Bailey is joining their investigative team.

For a struggling enterprise they have added a bunch of reporters in the last year or so to cover business: 2 energy reporters, hired Brianna from the Journal Record, hired Ben Felder and now Jack Money.

[TheTravellers]

Heard today that not only is the Tulsa World's press printing the Tulsa World and the Joklahoman, but the WSJ and USA Today. Presses run pretty much 24x7, I guess, and no downtime for maintenance and things are going to have a catastrophic breakdown eventually. Also, not enough qualified press workers are there, which adds to the troubles.

[mkokc]

Rumor mill bubbling with word that Warren Buffett, who owns Tulsa World, might be interested in buying The Oklahoman, too. Would only make sense at this point and frankly, would be better for OKC.