Local journalists want to write headlines, not become the subject of them. Our goal at the Pamplin Media Group is to give readers the most important information they need about their communities and, for the most part, stay out of the way of the story.
Lately, though, the fight to maintain local journalism has itself been a big story nationally and within Oregon.Let me pause here to reassure readers that Pamplin Media Group newspapers are here to stay, both in print and online. We have changes to announce for one of our papers, the Portland Tribune, including transitioning to a subscriber-only model. But first, it may be helpful to provide readers with some context about what's happening with local journalism at large.
In Oregon, the Medford Mail Tribune, once a proud and financially sturdy seven-day newspaper, shocked its readers on Sept. 21 when it announced it no longer would publish a print edition. Instead, it will become a digital-only newspaper serving one of Oregon's largest markets.
Meanwhile, other newspapers — including the Stayton Mail and the Silverton Appeal, which are owned by Gannett Media, and the Oregon Catholic Sentinel — are either ceasing their print editions or closing altogether. Their hardships follow Gannett's August announcement that it is slashing employees nationwide, further decimating newsrooms at the Eugene Register-Guard and Salem Statesman Journal. The Register-Guard's newsroom, once one of Oregon's finest, has lost 75 percent of its staff since longtime family owners sold the company in 2018.
These trends are hardly Oregon-specific. Newspapers throughout the country are reducing their print frequency, closing or going fully digital.
It's no great secret that all forms of local media — including TV and radio — are under pressure as readers, viewers, listeners and advertisers continue the digital transition. That pressure, however, has intensified in the past two years for reasons not specific to media but understandable to any business trying to survive in a strange economy. For newspapers, inflation and supply constraints have hit newsprint — our second largest expense after payroll — with a vengeance. Our cost of newsprint has increased 50% since the start of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the much-discussed labor shortage affects local media like any other business. In our case, finding drivers to deliver the Portland Tribune to newspaper boxes has become more challenging, bordering on impossible.
Then — and this is more specific to Portland — there is the issue of maintaining those news boxes. In some areas of the city, our signature green newspaper racks are scarred from vandalism or graffiti. You might think this comes from neglect, but as soon as we replace a damaged box with a new one, the box immediately gets hit again.
These concerns have contributed to our decision to stop distributing the Tribune via the green boxes. Starting Nov. 1, the Tribune will be available to subscribers who receive it weekly by mail (and daily online) or as a paid product inside major grocery stores and other retail locations. During the next four weeks, we will be pulling racks. If you've been grabbing your Wednesday paper from one of those boxes, please sign up for a subscription.
The factors mentioned above — inflation, labor availability and vandalism — are reasons enough to make this change. But there is a deeper, more optimistic strategy at play here. The emerging model for local journalism will depend more heavily on reader support than in the past. By converting the Portland Tribune to a paid newspaper, we are asking readers to join us in the valuable work we do.
And we know for certain the work is valued. More than 40,000 people have signed up for digital subscriptions at Pamplin Media Group's two dozen newspapers. Our 30 email newsletters hit the mailboxes of more than 300,000 people who've offered us their email addresses. Our websites draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each month. And, of course, our loyal print subscribers enjoy and respond to their ink-and-paper editions each week, commenting on everything from our new Play TV and entertainment section to the latest news from the city council.
We hear daily from readers who want us to be here for the long term. And because we are locally owned, we can make that promise: to continue bringing you the local news you won't find anywhere else. The Pamplin Media Group covers more Oregon communities than any other media company, and no changes in distribution are planned for the dozens of other towns served by our group.
However, moving the Tribune to a paid newspaper makes financial sense. After all, we already charge for the Tribune's online publication. Removal of the newspaper boxes also will improve appearances in neighborhoods where our green racks were concentrated and too often vandalized. But the most important reason for this change is more fundamental: to ensure the Portland Tribune's journalism remains in place for good.
J. Mark Garber is president and publisher of the Portland Tribune and Pamplin Media Group. You can email him at mgarber@pamplinmedia.com.
