Posted by B. Batemen “The Journal isn’t good enough to line a parakeet cage” I have found it to be quite good for wrapping dead fish. Posted by Monique “Why is the dead tree edition more profitable?” One reason is that, aside from circulation, the paths to profitability were worked out years ago. One was paying for placement. Many will recall that when it was a “man’s world”, tire and auto dealer ads were all in the Sports Section. You could also pay for repetition, so that you would always be where people expected to find you. Mortuary ads were always on the Obituary page. When Projo was the only game in town, they could name their own rates. If you wanted to advertise in Providence, what was your choice? One could say there was a monopoly, with monopoly pricing. It is well to remember that subscriptions were never at the core of profits, it was advertising revenue. Another good deal for the papers are “inserts” folded in with the paper. Advertisers are charged only slightly less than bulk mail, but day of delivery is assured. If the paper’s “marginal costs” are being covered, inserts are almost pure profit. Junk emails are as likely to be read as inserts. Have you noticed the radio ads that tell you the “Secret to success is a customer’s email address”. Of course, rates for all of the above are based on “paid circulation”. As that falls, papers are hurt very badly. For all of that, I find that my eyes are more likely to wander to a print ad on a newspaper page I am reading than to the side of a screen I am reading. Has anyone else noticed the shrinking Yellow Pages? They were once fiercely expensive. I have noticed that… Read more »