FW StartleGram: Slouching toward a JOA with the Snooze?

Every time I look at either one of the Metromess' two larger dailies, I see yet more cratering and yet more wondering about their viability.

The latest comes from the Oct. 3 issue of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

First, it's its normal weekday 20 pages. (Well, Mondays is usually shorter.) On its web press size and length that is approaching Berliner size.

AND AND AND?!?!?!

I've never seen a daily paper run ZERO display ads in an issue.

You read that right.

The StartleGram had a paid adhole of a bit under 15 percent.

It was five-sixth of a page of obits (which I count as paid adhole).

Two pages of classifieds.

And that was it.

No, really.

Again, ZERO ROP.

Now, a metro issue rather than one in the exurbs? Maybe it has a few ads.

But out here in the country? No display ads. At least not paid ones. (There was one quarter-page house ad.)

Wow.

Now, let's flip to the editorial side.

Lead story? From the other side of the Metromess, of course, the sentencing on Amber Guyger.

Photo?

From the Snooze.

Even five years ago, no way the Dallas Morning News is giving the Star Telegram a news photo. They'd started down the road of sports and entertainment coverage collaboration, but no way the Snooze does something like this.

Yes, I know the News' Tom Fox was part of a pool. Still, in the past, if that was sent to the AP, the Snooze would have said "no local media" or some similar restrictions. And, doesn't AP have its own photogs? Answer is yes, of course. Were none of them there? Were none of them allowed? There ARE other photographs. Plus, from the StartleGram's POV, there was the option of asking a TV station, or a network, for a still off video. Today's HD video would give you a fine quality picture for the front.

To me, that's poor optics and poor judgment.

Wow.

And layouts? Almost exactly the same on the front.

There you are, whichever way you slice your comparative viewing of the two papers.

Trying to figure out whether that looks worse (for the StartleGram) as a vertical or a horizontal.

So, JOA time? I mean, you might as well if you're to the point of sharing photos and having a semi-identical layout. And, if you're to the point of the StartleGram and you can't even sell an ad into your paper, you can't be making money, can you?

So, if no JOA, does this mean more layoffs ahead?

==

To give credit to where it's due, nine days later, their late Saturday bulldog had 40 percent ads, and the two Tuesdays since have been above 20 percent total, so more than 1 full page of ROP. Still.