Community Newspapers Using New Media to Generate Revenue

More than ever, community newspapers throughout BC and Yukon are making use of new media to supplement their traditional revenue streams.  Blogs rich with local content are a great way for community newspapers to connect with their readers on an even more timely basis than their print editions or even their online editions.  Immediate, relevant information can be conveyed to readers through a blog or Twitter in a matter of seconds, rather than hours or days.

BC Blogs, powered by BCLocalNews.com, a Black Press project, is a source for a variety of different locally-based blogs from throughout the province.

Yukon News makes use of RSS feeds to allow their online readers to subscribe to any new content in three different categories.  This guarantees their readers will return to their site, generating traffic.  They also use Facebook and Twitter to connect with their readers on an ongoing basis.

Another great source for locally-based blogs is the Canwest Communities site.

Alfie Lau of the Burnaby Now runs a highly entertaining local blog called “Cheap Shots” that generates traffic, advertising revenue, and lots of laughs.

35 Community Papers Affected by CanWest Sale

46 publications from across Canada, formerly comprising a large part of CanWest’s holdings, were sold on Monday to a group of unsecured lenders for $1.1 billion.  Paul Godfrey, former President of the National Post, will spearhead efforts to make the publications profitable.  The former CanWest group includes the Post, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun, 13 other large dailies and 35 community papers in Western Canada.

BCYCNA member papers affected by the sale are:
Abbotsford Times
Burnaby Now
Campbell River Courier-Islander
Chilliwack Times
Coquitlam Now
Delta Optimist
Duncan Cowichan Valley Citizen
Langley Advance
Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Times
Nanaimo Daily News
Nanaimo Harbour City Star
New Westminster Record
North Shore News
Richmond News
Surrey Now
Vancouver Courier

Read the full article here.

Gold Medal for our monthly winners!

The BCYCNA monthly member draw has not been announced for a while but the sales teams are booking ads faster than Alexandre Bilodeau is on skis. We have December, January and February winners to hand out. The following eager individuals have been selected to win the $500 monthly draw.

December - Kelly Pownall, Canwest Community Classifieds
January - Cameron Northcott, Burnaby Now
February - Kristy O’Connor, BC Classifieds (Black Press)

Once again, the BCYCNA hopes you and your team will continue to encourage one another with this campaign. ln order to qualify for the cash prize, all you have to do is sell the BCYCNA’s Community Classifieds! Every time you or a member of your team sells an ad, his/her name automatically goes in the hat for the monthly draw.

Canwest’s would-be suitors

Since October 2009, one of Canada’s largest international media companies Canwest, owner of several BCYCNA member newspapers, has been operating under creditor protection as part of the process to recapitalize the company.

Some analysts expect that the media conglomerate will sell assets or be broken up entirely as the restructuring process continues, in part because the publishing division has a separate set of lenders. The Financial Post, a Canwest subsidiary, came out with an article with possible suitors for the struggling company – it was posted on thevancouversun.com this week. Some of these potential buyers include Quebecor Inc., Transcontinental Inc., Alberta Investment Management Corp. (AIMCo.) and Glacier Media Inc.

For a full list of the would-be buyers pros and cons – click HERE.

Good & Bad News for Canwest

So the circulation of today’s newspaper industry is not always on the decline. The online edition of MARKETING takes an interesting look into the rise and fall of circulation in Canwest newspapers.

According to the article, Canwest is currently right-on their projections for the current year. Phyllise Gelfand, Canwest Publishing’s director of communications, calls this ascent and decline, “[a] targeted circulation strategy.” Many of the Canwest newspapers have seen a drop in circulation; however, Canwest’s English-language paper in Montréal, the Gazette, has seen its largest increase of circulation in the past year. To read this insightful article, click HERE.