Sun Media's Midland Free Press, a paid circulation newspaper since 1879, will become a free weekly as of July 22, says a memo sent to TSF.
The newspaper, currently being published Wednesdays and Fridays, will also be reduced to Wednesdays only, says the memo.
The former Barrie-area Osprey Media newspaper is the latest to feel results of PKP's rewrites.
The TSF tipster who sent us the memo withheld the name of its author. It reads:
"Beginning July 22, after 130 years of being a paid circulation newspaper, The Free Press will become a completely free source of news that will be packaged into a comprehensive once a week paper published on Wednesdays.
"We will provide readers and advertisers with an aggressive paper more colourful and easier to read. Editorial coverage will be pro active. Our format will change as we reorganize our content and sections.
"The Free Press became one of the oldest businesses and senior news sources in North Simcoe by adapting to the needs of readers, advertisers and new technology. We recognize that readers have less time and advertisers want more impact from their advertising dollars.
"This change to providing a single stronger newspaper will answer both of these requirements. Our history indicates that over the years we have successfully changed publication dates to address these needs.
"The Free Press will be printed on brand new presses that will give us unlimited colour opportunities and better reproduction. The distribution will be increased to 19.000+ and is timely for retail and insert customers alike.
"We value your patronage and would like to think that the partnership that has evolved has enabled both our businesses to grow. We see this growth continuing. Please feel free to contact me should you have questions or concerns."
We can only guess at what the local news/flyers/ads ratio will be for the new free weekly.
"Beginning July 22, after 130 years of being a paid circulation newspaper, The Free Press will become a completely free source of news that will be packaged into a comprehensive once a week paper published on Wednesdays.
"We will provide readers and advertisers with an aggressive paper more colourful and easier to read. Editorial coverage will be pro active. Our format will change as we reorganize our content and sections.
"The Free Press became one of the oldest businesses and senior news sources in North Simcoe by adapting to the needs of readers, advertisers and new technology. We recognize that readers have less time and advertisers want more impact from their advertising dollars.
"This change to providing a single stronger newspaper will answer both of these requirements. Our history indicates that over the years we have successfully changed publication dates to address these needs.
"The Free Press will be printed on brand new presses that will give us unlimited colour opportunities and better reproduction. The distribution will be increased to 19.000+ and is timely for retail and insert customers alike.
"We value your patronage and would like to think that the partnership that has evolved has enabled both our businesses to grow. We see this growth continuing. Please feel free to contact me should you have questions or concerns."
We can only guess at what the local news/flyers/ads ratio will be for the new free weekly.
Sad day indeed for what was once a very good newspaper ... and here's hoping that memo is a rough draft; atrocious grammar and punctuation.
ReplyDeleteI was just starting to appreciate the Free Press on trips home. By the sounds of it, they're aiming to ape their competitor, the Mirror.
ReplyDeleteI predict a no-holds-barred, Metro vs 24 Hours-type battle for mediocrity.