The Burlington Free Press made news Monday morning — but not on its own pages.
With the headline, “In Vermont, a Venerable Paper Fights for Readers,” the Freeps found itself the subject of a New York Times B1 story covering its June makeover — and the reaction from its Queen City readers.
Following the obligatory Ben & Jerry’s-flavored lede, media writer Christine Haughney briefly outlines the recent changes at the Freeps — from its press rebuild and format change to its online paywall and subscription price hike — before taking the reader straight to the action: Burlington’s August First bakery and cafe. There, teachers Lynne Hefferon and Candice Swenson are splitting a brownie and complaining about the Freeps’ “reduced content in print, sporadic delivery and long customer-service waiting times.”
Ms. Swenson said she was considering canceling the subscription she has had since 1974. Ms. Hefferon said she had canceled after 22 years and dropped it a second time after The Free Press offered her a Walmart gift card to come back. Both women have been reading Seven Days, a free alternative weekly, instead.
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“and publisher Jim Fogler, the latter of whom says the paper has held on
to 88 percent of its 600,000 unique web visitors since it started
charging for online access.’
They held on to the 88% that have visited since they started charging. The real question is a.) how many did they lose when they switched not retention and b.) how many of those actually pay but I’d bet my last dollar that number includes those that go for the 10 free articles a month. I visit once or twice a week and read an article, but not so much that I have to pay. I’m guessing I’m considered a “hold on.”
The freeps is pathetic, but then again your product reflects the people running it.
“Jim Fogler, the paper’s president and publisher, said that The Free
Press had held on to 88 percent of its unique visitors and that digital
subscriptions were increasing. He said the paper had 600,000 unique
visitors to its Web site before the changes.
Mr. Townsend said the site had been receiving about 530,000 unique visitors a month since then.”
So they now get an average of 171,000 visitors as compared with 530,000 before and yet “online advertising” is still good?
Yeah right, no wonder no one believes the media… few are even reading it online, fewer are paying and only a fool would believe that online advertising dollars has dropped off the face of the earth.
If the New York Times is called the Gray Lady, shouldn’t the
Burlington Free Press be called the Gay Lady?