Very few industries are weathering the economic climate unscathed. The global headlines have been brutal, reminding us daily of the economic turmoil:
• “Chrysler shuts down for one month.” – Washington Post, Dec. 18, 2008
• “Hotels try to adapt to hard times.” – Time.com, Dec. 17, 2008
• “Jobless claims at 26-year high.” – Time.com, Dec. 18, 2008
• CBS trims staff.” – AdWeek, Dec. 16, 2008
Many experts are predicting the market will rebound in the second quarter of 2009, and begin to make a comeback by the end of the year.
So what does this mean to the BDN and to you?
We want you to know that contrary to other headlines you may have read or heard over the past months about some newspapers’ difficulties, the BDN has had a strong 2008, thanks to support from our readers and our advertisers. We couldn’t do it without this support from our community, and we are grateful.
To do this, the BDN has looked at how best to respond to current market conditions – sometimes that is a hit and miss proposition as we find the solution that will satisfy our business needs, and the needs of our readers and our advertisers. There’s no playbook for times like this; we’ve chosen to look at this as a time of opportunity and creativity. Again, we are grateful for your support as we work our way through this process.
It’s also important to note that, according to research from Scarborough Research and Teenage Research Unlimited, newspapers continue to retain a strong audience and remain an attractive investment for advertisers.
Nationally, 48 percent of adults read a newspaper on an average weekday, with a whopping 91 percent reading the front page. Fifty-one percent of these readers say they find newspaper advertising somewhat or very useful.
And those elusive teenagers? Research shows that 51 percent of teens has read a newspaper in the past seven days, with 46 percent reading entertainment news, followed closely by local and community news at 41 percent and sports at 39 percent. And, 33 percent specifically note reading the advertising.
For businesses, this means that investing in marketing and advertising now will lead to returns later. The BDN, as always, wants to continue to partner with the community – your success is our success.
And, as Jan. 1 approaches, the BDN will begin unveiling our plans to make 2009 another strong year for our company. We will continue to be innovative and creative and responsive to the community. This newspaper has been a part of Boonville for nearly 90 years – our goal is for it to continue to be a strong and vibrant leader in the community for years to come.
We will continue to print six papers a week: the BDN published Monday through Friday, and the BDN Weekend as our total market product.
We realize too, that local naysayers will want to trash our strategies and our products. We will continue to take the high road, minding our own business plan as we, who live and work here in the Boone’s Lick right beside you, work hard to work smart in a positive manner in the coming months.
We wish you all a prosperous and blessed 2009.
