The crikey.com.au coverage on newspaper circulation tactics has been getting coverage at Andrew Landeryou’s blog. The best way for this to be dealt with is through full and frank disclosure – before it gets too much coverage in the blogosphere – the place your more likely to see accurate coverage on such a topic.
crikey.com.au has been running stories about newspaper circulation tactics used by our two major newspaper publishers News Ltd and Fairfax. Fairfax are receiving the most recent attention as a result of the pallet loads of newspapers offered free to people attending sporting events, gymnasiums and the cinema.
I own a newsagency and make a living selling newspapers. My success is tied to the value of the mastheads. The more newspapers given away the lower the value of them masthead in consumer eyes. This is a practice which ought to stop not only because of the devaluing of circulation figures but also because of the damage it is doing to businesses like mine.
If the newspaper has a price tag of a dollar then sell it for a dollar. If it is to be free then make it free for everyone.
This game being played at present is nuts and Australia’s independently owned small business newsagents are suffering as a result.
Newsagents are angry but will not speak up publicly because of fear of retribution.