Tuesday, September 01, 2020

The Gainesville Register can't sell ads?

The Register, formerly the five-day Gainesville Daily Register, but now a triweekly in print that maybe shouldn't be that (and like many others trying the same idea, should ditch the idea of still doing PDF e-editions for all former daily press date), still can't sell ads.

Its three print days a week have each issue selling no more in display ads than each of the five days a week did even before coronavirus' new normal hit.

But, it's even worse on special sections.

My group of weeklies in the area published a 52-page tab for our annual football preview. Almost as many pages as in the past. Ad inches off 10-12 percent, but with more color sales, revenue almost even with last year. Good deal. Adhole was around 50 percent.

The Register? 10-page broadsheet that, once you toss out them running one ad three times and another four times (no, really) had a ONE and ONE HALF page adhole. 15 percent.

Just wow.

Their sports editor has decent to good sports coverage on the words and camera side, as he does in general. Their editor/GM is decent writer or better (other than being amazed by Texas grackles), and if she's dropping pages herself, generally good there.

But they just suck on ads.

And, I expect it to only get worse.

No comments: