In a recent interview on ContentNextMedia, Media News Group CEO Dean Singleton, whose company owns the Time-Standard, recently talked about the state of newspaper revenue and the AP network.
On the topic of revenue, Singeton blamed an almost 60 percent drop in sales for auto and real estate ads, especially in California, as a problem.
On the topic of online advertising, he said his company is 100 percent on board, even though those types of ads gain 3o cents to the $1 compared to print ads.
On AP, which Singleton is a board member, he said he editors should stop blaming AP for all its woes. To Singleton, AP is the greatest invention next to sliced bread.
“I don’t believe a newspaper operation can function without AP. There are some who have given their notices and others who say they’re going to try to go it alone. Let somebody try to do without AP and let’s see how the readership does. The AP is the best buy that I know. It’s 5 percent of my newsroom budget, 35 percent of my newsroom content. And they just cut my rates more than 10 percent. Sounds like a deal to me.”
No wonder the Times-Standard leaks of AP and syndicated content. Perhaps, when the time to cut comes, Singeton will choose layoffs to slashing the money given to AP.
Recently, newspapers across the county have threatened, or given notice, to stop their AP subscription due to rate increases.
Perhaps what’s most ironic in this newspaper war is the ER is indirectly funding the TS by paying for AP service, which helps line Singeton’s pockets.
The Redwood Newspaper War Watch 