Newspapers downturn

By: Jessica Hamell

So now that the election is over will everything get better? Will our economy and newspaper industry be saved. I hardly think so.

The Kansas City Star is letting go of 50 employees. They are in their third round of cost cutting in nearly 5 months and nothing is getting better. The said 2008 is “one of the most challenging years in Star history.” All of them will receive severance pay, benefits continuation and outplacement services. If that is the case then why not keep them and just cut their wages. The newspaper won’t be making much more money by letting go of these employees if they keep giving them money.

These newspapers are trying to do everything they can to save themselves but nothing is working. When will all this stop.

“Many newspapers, including The Star, are attracting record numbers of readers to their news and advertising content. But most new readers are coming through the papers’ online Web sites, while readership and advertising revenue from their core daily printed products continue to soften.” Why don’t more papers make people pay for online subscriptions? That is where they are losing money, I think that would be a very good idea. If people pay to for an online subscription the cost of printing the product is taken out of the equation and money could be made.