|
Were you a Houston Chronicle subscriber?
|
As an avid newspaper reader, I've subscribed to multiple papers most of my adult life. Even as I child, I read the morning Topeka Capital and the evening Topeka Journal.
That's no longer possible since the Houston Chronicle stopped serving the Crossroads region. In an article Monday, the Chronicle cited high gas prices and newsprint costs and low advertiser interest in our area. The San Antonio Express-News also stopped delivery in our region at the start of this year.
In some respects, the move is good news for the Advocate. However, those two metro newspapers had a very low penetration in our market anyway, and most of those readers also took the Advocate.
I talked to a Victoria resident last week who was bemoaning the loss of the Chronicle. He emphasized he always reads the Advocate but misses having a second newspaper to read. I told him I understood.
As a community newspaper, we don't aim to be another Chronicle, but what elements of these metro papers would you like to see incorporated into the Advocate? How have you been satisfying your news fix?
In the latest circulation report we have, the Chronicle had 616 daily subscribers and 890 Sunday readers in Victoria County. Monday's Chronicle story reports the paper's total circulation dropped 1.8 percent daily and 6.6 percent Sunday. By comparison, the Advocate's circulation was flat daily and grew by half a percent on Sundays.
Online, readership of all newspapers continues to grow significantly -- a statistic often lost when people express doom and gloom about the industry. People remain interested in news that matters to them. The challenge is to keep reporting that relevant news and delivering it in the most convenient platform.
Print- •
-
Share
- Share this item
-
Grab the link
Copy and paste the link:
- Blog about it
- Close
- •
-
9 Comments
- •
-
Flag
-
Thank you for your contribution.Flag this as inappropriate
- Close
-
- •
Follow ChrisCobler
Comments
Glad we could get you taken care of and get your subscription started again. I also thank the circulation department for working through many such delivery challenges for our readers in more remote locations.
May 2, 2008 at 2:03 p.m.Thanks, Chris. I sent you an email regarding subscription. I would also be interested in mail delivery, if home delivery is not feasible. Looking forward to receiving the VicAd, hopefully one way or another.
April 30, 2008 at 4:49 p.m.Sugar,
If you want to e-mail me your address, I'll talk personally with our circulation director about your delivery options. I certainly want to get you the paper. Of course, home delivery is one of the biggest expenses in a newspaper operation, which is why the Chronicle took the step it did. My hope is we can work something out for you.
Perhaps once you get the paper daily again you'll see that most of the features you mention are consistently in the same place in the Advocate. We can always do better, of course, and most readers want that predictability you describe.
Chris
April 30, 2008 at 7:25 a.m.Chris - I guess I am used to the predictable layout of the Chronicle. The obits are ALWAYS in the same section, usually the 2-3 pages before the op/eds, which are ALWAYS in the last 2 pages of the city section. I can open up the chronicle to any page in most any section, and know what will be there, and it will always be arranged that way. Comics encompass 3 pages, and are not split up. The food section is predictable, with certain features always in the same space. I guess more predictability is what I like.
April 29, 2008 at 10:06 p.m.As for the mail delivery, yes it always runs a few days behind, but since I am always behind on my reading, that's alright by me. I eventually catch up. I know that routine is not for everybody. But the web sites also help one stay current. I don't hardly ever read the print version of the Vicad, mostly online, so I hate to complain since I am not sending you subscription money. I would get the Vicad delivered, but I live on a gravel road and was told in no uncertain terms a few years ago that they will deliver to the ENDS of the gravel road, where it meets a paved road, but not in between, which is where I live. Didn't make sense to me, but I clarified this with subscription services and indeed that was their policy. I am only about a half mile off the highway, but they couldn't see clear to drive that half mile to put a paper in my yard or box. Has this policy changed? I would actually love to receive the Vicad via delivery or mail. Can you help me with that? I would appreciate any info, or if this policy has changed.....
Dear Sugar,
I certainly can see why you'd like to keep reading your hometown newspaper. You must be a patient person to put up with mail delivery. Newspapers have long struggled with the postal service's slow and inconsistent delivery.
In terms of the Advocate's print organization, we're always looking to improve that. Daily, we feature lighter news on A2 and a community calendar on A3. The rest of the A section generally is devoted to national and international news. Our B section is Crossroads, which is devoted to local and region news, state news and obituaries. Our Viewpoints page generally falls in this section, too. Our C section is Sports. Our D section is for features.
It sounds as if this print organization, though, could still be improved in your mind. What features do you regularly look for and have trouble finding?
Chris
April 29, 2008 at 7:58 p.m.Mr. Cobler - as I live outside of the Chronicle delivery area, I have had my Chronicle mailed for years now. Costs more (probably a LOT more) but to me it is worth it. Call customer service; they would likely be glad to sign interested subscribers up for mail service. I read the Houston Chronicle for the hard news; also to keep abreast of the news in Houston since it is my hometown. It helps the homesickness to some extent. I also appreciate the way the Chronicle is laid out, very organized. This would be a good model for the Vicad. A main section with world and national news; a city or metro section with local news and obituaries and op/ed in the same place every day. Then a business section, entertainment section, etc. I think readers really appreciate a paper that is organized, even if it is smaller, so they know where to find things EVERY DAY, without having to search haphazardly, be it in the print or online version.
April 29, 2008 at 7:23 p.m.Dear Mike,
April 29, 2008 at 6:21 p.m.The Chronicle story indicated the paper wouldn't be delivered beyond 100 miles from Houston. However, I don't know how precisely the newspaper is drawing the boundary. Edna would be within 100 miles of Houston, I think, but I don't know that you can get the Chronicle there.
Robert,
We are looking at updating our home page more frequently throughout the day.
Thanks for the feedback.
Chris
I browse all three, online daily.
The VA website needs to be a little more organized, my preference is a layout similar to chron.com. Too often I have to dig around to find a Vipers score and such. Updating the front page through out the day would also be nice.
April 29, 2008 at 10:21 a.m.I really miss that feel of my Sunday Chronicle and would like to know ,how far do i have to drive to get it.
April 29, 2008 at 9:51 a.m.I have been a subscriber of the Victoria Advocate for some forty years, and I will continue that, but the Sunday Chronicle had the political columnist and the insight on the Houston Astros and Rockets I wanted.