Suburban Chain Sees Detroit Delivery Cuts as an Opening

By: Joe Strupp A Journal Register Company chain of four dailies outside Detroit is poised to move into the home-delivery market being partially vacated by Detroit's two dailies.

Kevin Haezebroeck, senior vice president for operations of JRC's Michigan papers, said the decision last week by the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News to reduce home delivery to Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays creates an opportunity.

"There is something that it opens up in Oakland County, Macomb County," said Haezebroeck. "I think there are a fair amount of people who still want a seven-day paper delivered to their home."

Haezebroeck's chain includes The Oakland Press in Pontiac, The Macomb Daily in Mount Clemens, The Daily Tribune in Royal Oak, and The Morning Sun in Mount Pleasant. The Press and Macomb Daily publish seven days per week, the Sun six days, and the Tribune four days, a recent switch from six days that was made earlier this year.

The papers, which boast a combined circulation of about 130,000, span much of the areas suburbs. Haezebroeck said they have already gotten dozens of calls in the past week asking about delivery.

"Our plans are still in the preliminary stages," he said about any changes to coverage or delivery. "We are ready to go. We will make a substantial effort to grow where we can. It opens up a lot of possibilities, but it is wait-and-see."

Janet Hasson, senior vice president/audience development & strategy
for the Detroit Media Partnership, which operates business activities for the JOA Free Press and Detroit News, issued this statement:

"Free Press and Detroit News are metro newspapers that provide readers with deep, comprehensive content that impacts all of the Detroit metro area and the State of Michigan. While the suburban dailies and weeklies provide niche community content for their individual communities. Both are important but serve readers differently. The Free Press and Detroit News will continue to provide valuable content seven-days a week in print, online and in e-editions.

"In response to specifically the Journal Register Michigan group, we are aware of the Journal Register's serious financial situation and question whether they will be able to tie any advertising rate increases to a possible distribution increase. That would be a very tough sell in Michigan at this time."

Glenn Gilbert, executive editor of the Oakland Press, the JRC chain's largest paper, noted recent requests for new subscribers. "The biggest opportunity is in Oakland County. Detroit is a big factor as a competitor and this leaves a big hole for us," he said. "We have a good product, especially pro and college sports, which competes with Detroit. I think people will discover that."

He added: "I think that getting the word out that we are seven days will help. A lot of our readers are former Detroit readers who stuck with those papers out of habit."

Gilbert said his chain shares one statehouse reporter but has no one assigned full-time to Detroit, although he says people are sent when stories warrant it.

Haezebroeck said he did not see a major staff increase coming to boost coverage or circulation: "We can cover that with the folks we have on staff, it depends on how much we can do."

He also said remaining a seven-day home delivery option will be more attractive to many advertisers. "If you are an advertising customer, you don?t want to alter your sales," he noted. "I have two seven-day products in the market, instead of having to make that retailer alter their sales and promotions."