Dow Jones Production Plant Begins 'NY Post' Printing

By: Joe Strupp Just days after finalizing its takeover of Dow Jones & Co., News Corp. is using its new acquisition to help boost distribution of the New York Post.

The Post, which was News Corp.'s only U.S. newspaper prior to the Dow Jones deal, expanded its distribution into western Pennsylvania, and portions of Ohio and western New York on Monday by utilizing an existing Dow Jones production plant in Sharon, Pa., according to an item posted on an internal Dow Jones employee Web site.

The item stated that the use of the Sharon plant will allow more than 5,000 copies of the Post to be distributed in markets that include: Pittsburgh, Pa.; Columbus, Ohio; Akron, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; Erie, Pa.; and Buffalo, N.Y.

"The copies were made available thanks to the staff at the Dow Jones production plant in Sharon?. who began printing the Post Sunday evening after the Wall Street Journal production operation was complete," the posted item stated. "The efforts to launch New York Post operations in Sharon began in mid-October when operations and circulation departments at both Dow Jones and the Post began discussions about expanding remote printing and retail distribution of the daily tabloid.

"Several areas of the U.S. have been explored for expansion or moving of existing remote Post operations into Dow Jones plants," the notice added. "Sharon was the first market launched partly because of existing service in portions of the distribution footprint, a favorable press window, and leveraging Dow Jones relationships with contracted trucking and wholesale operations in the expansion areas."

News Corp. and Dow Jones officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment and more information Monday.

The posted item also noted that "although the Sharon plant currently is the only Dow Jones plant printing the NY Post for publication, it wasn't the first. Test printing of the remote NY Post edition was conducted Nov. 1 in Riverside, Ca. The Post decided to retain its current contract printer in Southern California but shares trucking in the market and to Las Vegas with WSJ copies Monday-Saturday."