Is the PNJ finished?

I have noticed that the PNJ has been reduced to a  shell of its former incompetent and worthless self.  How long do you think they can continue publishing nothing of any news value?  What, if anything, will fill the news void in Pensacola?

Todays Top 5 stories
1 Community helps fellow artist battling cancer
2 Death notices: Monday, Sept. 9, 2013
3 One man's way to thank the military: Feed the homeless
4 Pension poachers target vets in nursing homes
5 Imprisoned former GOP chief Greer: I'll be back in '14

I just had to run some ads. I normally stick to google ad words. About 300 a month brings in about 1000 a month new business which will repeat next year. It targets somebody. Say my business was sewing machines. I can put in KEYWORDS like Pensacola, Navarre, Milton, and Pace. When somebody searches for sewing machines, milton, the ad pops up next to other listings. We have found that these targeted ads bring new customers.

One business just had a special for its 10th anniversary. We decided to run some TV ads in a 30 second format. For Four hundred dollars we ran the ads between 5:30 am and 7:00 am Monday through Friday. We also ran a half page ad on a Wed. in the local newspaper for 450 dollars. The results were absolutely nothing from the TV or Newspaper. However, our usual google ad words brought about 20 new customers this weekend.

The truth of the matter is that the local newspaper is not a very effective ad method. It works for real estate and automobiles. However, the business which is specialized has 99 percent of people who look at the newspaper who have no interest in your ad, but a google ad word only gets folks who are interested. The PNJ in order to survive needed to meld the online version and print version to bring specific ads to neighborhoods. However, the Ganett folks gutted the PNJ and the forums. Without ad revenue a newspaper cannot survive.

2seaoat wrote:I just had to run some ads.  I normally stick to google ad words.  About 300 a month brings in about 1000 a month new business which will repeat next year.  It targets somebody.   Say my business was sewing machines.  I can put in KEYWORDS like Pensacola, Navarre, Milton, and Pace.   When somebody searches for sewing machines, milton, the ad pops up next to other listings.  We have found that these targeted ads bring new customers.

One business just had a special for its 10th anniversary.  We decided to run some TV ads in a 30 second format.  For Four hundred dollars we ran the ads between 5:30 am and 7:00 am Monday through Friday.  We also ran a half page ad on a Wed. in the local newspaper for 450 dollars.   The results were absolutely nothing from the TV or Newspaper.   However, our usual google ad words brought about 20 new customers this weekend.

The truth of the matter is that the local newspaper is not a very effective ad method.  It works for real estate and automobiles.  However, the business which is specialized has 99 percent of people who look at the newspaper who have no interest in your ad, but a google ad word only gets folks who are interested.  The PNJ in order to survive needed to meld the online version and print version to bring specific ads to neighborhoods.  However, the Ganett folks gutted the PNJ and the forums.   Without ad revenue a newspaper cannot survive.

The best (or worst) advertising is word of mouth...and in my educated opinion the PNJ threw the baby out with the bathwater.

I don't understand why they can't evolve... it's as if they're leading themselves to the slaughter house.

The PNJ is nothing more than an ad with a few insignificant stories thrown in.

For hard local news, I much prefer northescambia.com.

Their future was us. With the development of vibrant local forums tied into the circulation area of the print newspaper, the online version could have offered remarkable google ad like targeted advertisement right down to the block level in the community. They chased the forum members away. People quit reading by neighborhood, and the google ad online edition was dead on arrival. It really is an intelligence thing. The old timers caught with both feet in print could not understand what Mike was trying to sell.....so corporate gutted one of the most active local online editions in the nation.

2seaoat wrote:I just had to run some ads.  I normally stick to google ad words.  About 300 a month brings in about 1000 a month new business which will repeat next year.  It targets somebody.   Say my business was sewing machines.  I can put in KEYWORDS like Pensacola, Navarre, Milton, and Pace.   When somebody searches for sewing machines, milton, the ad pops up next to other listings.  We have found that these targeted ads bring new customers.

One business just had a special for its 10th anniversary.  We decided to run some TV ads in a 30 second format.  For Four hundred dollars we ran the ads between 5:30 am and 7:00 am Monday through Friday.  We also ran a half page ad on a Wed. in the local newspaper for 450 dollars.   The results were absolutely nothing from the TV or Newspaper.   However, our usual google ad words brought about 20 new customers this weekend.

The truth of the matter is that the local newspaper is not a very effective ad method.  It works for real estate and automobiles.  However, the business which is specialized has 99 percent of people who look at the newspaper who have no interest in your ad, but a google ad word only gets folks who are interested.  The PNJ in order to survive needed to meld the online version and print version to bring specific ads to neighborhoods.  However, the Ganett folks gutted the PNJ and the forums.   Without ad revenue a newspaper cannot survive.

For hundreds of years, newspapers of one form or another, have "ruled". When the internet came along, newspapers and their editors looked down their nose at the media. By the time they realized what was happening, it was to late.

Any advertising done today by real estate companies in the newspaper or the Homes magazines is strictly for the satisfaction of the Seller. I quit them both several years ago.

A little more than 10 years ago I contracted with a highly recommended company that specialized in real estate sites. I wasn't highly optimistic although I knew I had to keep up with the competition. Once it was up and running, with all my listings and an advertised link to all the MLS systems in the State, I was stunned by the number of "hits" and the number of those who went to several pages. It pays for itself every month. The initial set up was expensive, the monthly fee reasonable and they link all my listings with all the major real estate web sites.

Newspapers seem to have been bent on self destruction. Many of them have put up pay walls and that only seems to provide temporary relief since their content, as you said, drops to what is now little more than an advertising flyer.

Mr Ichi wrote:I have noticed that the PNJ has been reduced to a  shell of its former incompetent and worthless self.  How long do you think they can continue publishing nothing of any news value?  What, if anything, will fill the news void in Pensacola?

Todays Top 5 stories
1 Community helps fellow artist battling cancer
2 Death notices: Monday, Sept. 9, 2013
3 One man's way to thank the military: Feed the homeless
4 Pension poachers target vets in nursing homes
5 Imprisoned former GOP chief Greer: I'll be back in '14

I'd also like to point out that even though there is a complete section of the News Journal dedicated to our military (It's called Homefront), two out of the top 5 stories are about veterans issues. They were front page stories, not relegated to Homefront section. I guess the military gets their own section and then they get the rest of the paper too.
Of course, that's very anti-military of me.

I've also noticed that the Daily Convo section of the paper which used to collect viewpoints from  local citizens seems to have disappeared  altogether.  The LTE section is, more often than not,only one or two letters and quite often the single viewpoint of some professional person in our area.  They are no longer interested in anyone's opinions but their own.

I don't think we need to put too much emphasis on this forum as some sort of savior where discussing local issues is concerned.

The last time there was a forum vote on something only about 15 or 20 people voted. That says a lot about forum participation.

I understand that we are very small. That is my point. Will there be a Internet presence that will fill the void left by the collapse of the PNJ? If so, what will it look like? Honest question.

I may pay for a billboard when I am in Pensacola later this month

SEAOAT SAYS......PENSACOLA DISCUSSION FORUM ROCKS



The readership would drop to 12 people.

bluemoon wrote:I don't think we need to put too much emphasis on this forum as some sort of savior where discussing local issues is concerned.

The last time there was a forum  vote on something only about 15 or 20 people voted.  That says a lot about forum participation.

A very small percentage of people who read the comments on an article or forum ever comment themselves. The last I read was about 10%. Tens of millions listen to call in shows and only a tiny fraction of a percentage ever call. Same for local call in shows.

All I can say is I think it sucks big time that we who choose to eschew Facebook are forever banned from commenting on PNJ articles.   I also agree with Seaoat that their closing of the neighborhood forums was a huge loss -- for them as well as for us.  Now we are completely cut off from each other, and I dread the next major hurricane more than ever because of that sensation of isolation.