Saturday, January 17, 2009

A "Paperless" SF Chronicle? Hearst Mulls The Inevitable

COULD NORTHERN CALIFORNIA'S LARGEST NEWSPAPER be close to ceasing it's print edition? HEARST Corp., which owns the SF CHRONICLE, is already preparing to offer an online-only edition of the SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, which it has put up for sale. If a buyer is not found in 60 days, the paper will close and go on-line only.

HEARST'S Chronicle, which has lost millions more in San Francisco, could be the next model for on-line-only production, or as an industry source tells me, the paper would gradually reduce it's print edition, perhaps beefing up street/vendor sales, while limiting and reducing home-delivery editions.

Like almost every other paper in the country, the Chronicle has endured lagging readership and sagging ad revenue, as younger readers have turned to the INTERNET to get their news. Although the Chron's on-line entity, SFGATE.COM, has become popular in the Bay Area and produces millions of "hits" daily, it's print revenue source has shrunk considerably and has produced several layoffs of reporters and editors.

Stay tuned.

1 comment:

  1. Sad,sad,sad. Sunday morning without a newspaper just isn't the same. I do use the internet for headline news, but for in depth stuff I need my paper. I guess we have to get with the times, but it sucks. Not that Hearst actually put out a GREAT paper, but damn

    ReplyDelete