The Incredible Shrinking Register

AIT · 06-23-2008, 02:03 PM

When I brought in my copy of the Des Moines Register this morning, I thought I was missing a few sections. It turns out, there's just not much there. The A section is 8 pages. The metro section is 6 pages. The business section is 8 pages (half of that is classified ads). The Iowa Life section is 6 pages. About the only good thing is the sports section is 12 pages. Add in more ad space and smaller pages, and it takes me about half as long to read the paper each day than it did a year ago. This is pathetic. No wonder circulation is way down.

cardinal&gold · 06-23-2008, 02:10 PM

Since most people get their news online anymore, I'd say it's probably necessary for them to go smaller so they can reduce costs. It's also better for the environment (killing fewer trees). Not sure many people will notice, anyway.

ISUFan22 · 06-23-2008, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by cardinal&gold

Since most people get their news online anymore

I honestly can't remember the last time I bought a newpaper. And the last time I picked one up was probably in the waiting room of some doctor's office.

BryceC · 06-23-2008, 02:14 PM

Circulation is down everywhere and it has nothing to do with the quality of writing. The KC Star only prints 2 days a week now I believe and they are the best paper in the midwest.

Cyclonesrule91 · 06-23-2008, 02:16 PM

Haven't bought a Register in years and won't even even get the free one at Kum n Go when I have to fill up with their gas. That paper is worthy only of buttwad and ink can cause rashes potentially on the tushy so don't even want to bother with it at all........

abcguyks · 06-23-2008, 02:33 PM

Originally Posted by BryceC

Circulation is down everywhere and it has nothing to do with the quality of writing. The KC Star only prints 2 days a week now I believe and they are the best paper in the midwest.

Not sure where you are getting your info, but the KC Star is still distributed 7 days a week. They may only print ads 2 days a week, but the newspaper is printed everyday.

BryceC · 06-23-2008, 02:34 PM

My fault, I heard an interview with Whitlock a few months ago and he was talking about something like that, I must have misheard it. He did mention that the Star spent like 250 million on a new printing press and they really wish they hadn't now, and circulation of the Star is way down.

Newspapers as a medium are really going through some rough times and it's only going to get tougher.

aeroclone · 06-23-2008, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by BryceC

Circulation is down everywhere and it has nothing to do with the quality of writing. The KC Star only prints 2 days a week now I believe and they are the best paper in the midwest.

Perhaps the grass always seems greeneron the other side of the fence, but it seems to me living in KC the Star gets beat up on far more in the KC area than the Rag gets beat on in central Iowa.

Of course determining which paper is better probably doesn't matter much. Being the best newspaper in the midwest is like winning the spelling bee at the special olympics...

dmclone · 06-23-2008, 02:46 PM

It's smaller but they have that great new feature where you have to flip it upside down if you want to read the next page. That's 2 days in a row. What idiots.

cys_av8r · 06-23-2008, 02:53 PM

The smaller the paper, the less crap the Rag can spew. I see this as a positive. I don't even go to their website let alone buy that sorry excuse for toilet paper.

BryceC · 06-23-2008, 03:13 PM

Nationwide among newspaper people the Star is very, very highly thought of. Getting an internship there is nigh impossible.

Ms3r4ISU · 06-23-2008, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by cardinal&gold

Not sure many people will notice, anyway.

Hey, lots of people noticed when they first did the switch a few weeks ago. They were so bold to say, in the opinion section announcing it, that "some people who tried the newer smaller width paper really liked it. (ital, mine.) We wondered who they asked?

MINNESOTACYCLONE · 06-23-2008, 03:32 PM

If you are not interested in reading the paper, that's okay, it's a free country. But why the vitriol? I for one read the Des Moines Register every morning and the USA Today at lunch. I really enjoy reading the paper. Think of how much of our info on cyclonefanatic comes from stories from the Ames Tribune, Des Moines Register, or other papers. The newspapers have the resources to actually follow the teams, conduct decent interviews, and provide pretty good analysis. Let's face it, most blogs get their information from newspapers. Let's say all of those papers went away, we would have to get all of our information from team websites and those associated with the various teams. Can you imagine the homerism and bias in our news then? At least newspapers try to be fair somewhat. Let's try to give the Register a break now and then. Yes circulation is down at the Register but what business in America isn't down? I own stock in Google, Microsoft, Visa, among other big companies and everything is down big. It's a tough economy for everyone.

Palmer · 06-23-2008, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by MINNESOTACYCLONE

If you are not interested in reading the paper, that's okay, it's a free country. But why the vitriol? I for one read the Des Moines Register every morning and the USA Today at lunch. I really enjoy reading the paper. Think of how much of our info on cyclonefanatic comes from stories from the Ames Tribune, Des Moines Register, or other papers. The newspapers have the resources to actually follow the teams, conduct decent interviews, and provide pretty good analysis. Let's face it, most blogs get their information from newspapers. Let's say all of those papers went away, we would have to get all of our information from team websites and those associated with the various teams. Can you imagine the homerism and bias in our news then? At least newspapers try to be fair somewhat. Let's try to give the Register a break now and then. Yes circulation is down at the Register but what business in America isn't down? I own stock in Google, Microsoft, Visa, among other big companies and everything is down big. It's a tough economy for everyone.

I was suprised as well by the outright hate.

BryceC · 06-23-2008, 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by MINNESOTACYCLONE

Yes circulation is down at the Register but what business in America isn't down? I own stock in Google, Microsoft, Visa, among other big companies and everything is down big. It's a tough economy for everyone.

Circulation is down for newspapers and has been shrinking for the better part of a decade. People just aren't that interested in newspapers anymore.

A lot of the stuff we dicuss comes from the Rag, but it really hasn't shed any new light around here for a significant period of time.