One of the casualties of the crippling snowstorm that closed Hwy. 402 between London and Sarnia is today's print edition of the Sarnia Observer.
The Observer no longer has its own presses, so the long distance hauling of Sun Media papers to the area from London was curbed by the storm.
An online Sarnia Observer story explains why the print edition has not arrived, which does little for print readers and advertisers wondering where the daily paper is today.
The contradictory online Observer story reads:
"Due to the closure of Highway 402 there will be no printed edition of Tuesday's Observer.
"The digital edition is being made available free of charge for Tuesday's paper but you must register online at www.theobserver.ca and click on the e-edition link.
"The Tuesday printed edition will be delivered as soon as the roads become passable."
So which is it, "there will be no printed edition of Tuesday's Observer" or "the Tuesday printed edition will be delivered as soon as the roads become passable?"
And does the major delay, or non-delivery at any time, mean all subscribers and advertisers will be credited?
Winter has not officially arrived and Quebecor's long distance paper hauls are already feeling the brunt of severe weather.
Quebecor sold its presses at the Observer, the Niagara Falls Review and Welland Tribune and shipped them to a firm in Peru last December.
So unlike the year-long Ottawa Sun experiment, which saw its papers being printed two hours away in Mirabel, Que., before returned to Ottawa in 2008, there is no turning back.
Our pressrun made it through the snow to Peterborough on time Monday...but with most of the editorial page repeated from Saturday. We look ridiculous to our readers.
ReplyDeleteIt's been long rumoured that Monday will be killed off. Subcribers might not mind.
What? They get snow in the snow belt? Who saw that coming?
ReplyDeleteCan it still be called a "daily" newspaper?
ReplyDeleteAny paper that doesn't have a Sunday edition should not be called a "daily."
ReplyDeleteLast summer, distribution of The Observer was delayed after the truck carrying the papers wiped on Highway 402. And there wasn't any snow. Maybe PKP was thinking this winter was going to be like last year's when there were no road closures or any bad weather at all.
ReplyDeleteSince when does PKP give a damn about the readers? You honestly think he cares if thousands of readers didn't get their paper.
ReplyDeleteClose presses, toss people out of work, piss off readers. All in the name of Nordiques and SunTV progress.
To set the record straight...Sarnia only missed Tuesday paper. There was never a missed delivery in the summer.
ReplyDelete