Gannett news poses questions for Plainfield

Readers of yesterday's Plainfield Today post on the Courier News situation need look no further than this morning's paper for an indication of what's going on.

A front page Plainfield story on the conviction in a 2005 murder case has the byline: "Staff report". Such a byline is often used when an item is rewritten by a staffer from a press release and where a reporter has not actually been present to cover the story, though a phone call or two may be placed to fact check or for a quote. (Contrast this with the Ledger coverage of the same story, where two reporters get a shared byline for blending actual courtroom (Lucas) and community (Friedman) coverage.)

Secondly, convicted former Senate president John Lynch's being stripped of pension benefits is covered in both the Courier and the Home News Tribune with an AP item, suggesting staffing is thin. Especially at the Home News Tribune, which is Lynch's hometown paper.

Thursdays are usually the day when Gannett's reportorial staff is running at full speed, with the front page and the state page carrying items from the Gannett State Bureau.

Today's front page, in addition to the Plainfield story, carries three others, all with reporter bylines. The state page highlights five stories of statewide interest, ALL by the AP. All of these are indicators of how thin the reportorial staffing is -- to a great extent in response to difficulties in the newspaper industry generally.

Comments on yesterday's Plainfield Today post also indicate industry pressures having a local effect. (I cannot vouch for their accuracy.)

One comment focuses on staffing --

"A short time after [juggling around the printing of the Daily Record and the Courier News], Gannett had another change of heart -- and either laid off or moved the entire CN production staff. Meaning the presses there are now silent, and nothing is printed in Bridgewater."

and another on pressures to merge papers --

"This may well be a management consolidation that leads to a single newspaper."

Meanwhile, in the Business section there is a story on Gannett's second quarter performance. Net profits increased, driven by sales of several newspapers, but --

"Gannett cited weaker advertising for the lower results, partly due to a slowdown in real estate in several of its markets, a category that had been very strong a year ago."
...

"The slump in Gannett's newspaper results is part of a broader decline in advertising across the industry which has been accelerating in recent months. Readers and the advertising dollars that chase them are increasingly turning to the Internet for news, information and entertainment.

"We see no signs that a turnaround in newspapers is anywhere on the horizon," Morgan Stanley analyst Lisa Monaco told investors in a note Wednesday, adding that after seeing the second-quarter results, she is further convinced that Gannett and the industry overall will "continue to lose share to new media for the foreseeable future."

All of this should be of concern to the administration of Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs. If the Courier eventually is folded into the Home News Tribune, Plainfield will face even sharper competition for news space, including against towns like New Brunswick, where communications is handled professionally and as one of the highest priorities.

By the way, did I mention the business item on Gannett was an AP story?

---

Courier --

• 7/19/2008: "City man faces life sentence in fatal stabbing"
• 7/19/2008: "Jailed ex-senator loses most of state pension"
• 7/19/2008: "Gannett 2Q net increases on asset sales, but weak advertising drags down results"

-- Dan Damon

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