Knoxville News Sentinel asks extra fee for TV Week

Pay extra for a newspaper’s weekly TV section?

That’s the plan at Knoxville News Sentinel where editor Jack McElroy announced home-subscribers who want TV Week, which came out with a new look on Sunday, will have to pay 25 cents a week extra for delivery on Saturdays starting in mid-April, notes Grumpy Editor.

With newspaper managements keeping sharp eyes on bottom lines, is this the start of a trend that will see additional fees for the sports section or weekend magazines such as Parade and USA Weekend?

“The problem is --- and has been --- that TV Week, while essential to many readers, is ignored by many others and does not draw a large number of advertisers,” mentions McElroy.  “At the same time, the comprehensive listings require lots of pages of newsprint.”

Perhaps the E.W. Scripps Co. newspaper needs to ignite its News Sentinel advertising sales staff.  After all, there are advantages to advertising in a compact weekly that stays close to the sofa and TV set for a whole week, rather than being tossed out at the end of every day.

McElroy adds, “The upshot is that TV Week loses a lot of money for the News Sentinel --- hundreds of thousands of dollars a year --- while fewer and fewer readers use it.”

Maybe readership is not so gloomy.  In current economic conditions, with inflation rising and dining out or fueling family cars becoming more expensive, belt-tightening newspaper readers are spending more time at home.  That means extra TV viewing.  And channel surfers relish a program indicating where to go on the dial.

“The News Sentinel remains a very healthy business, but like any business, it must find ways to manage expenses to keep prices low,” relates McElroy.  “Sharply increasing newsprint costs are exacerbating the problem. Changing how we distribute TV Week, so the people who want it pay for it, seems like a reasonable step.”

An easier way for management:  simply lift the home delivery cost by a buck a month for all subscribers without creating potential billing and delivery problems in distinguishing those who receive TV Week and those who don’t.

With a circulation of around 122,000, that additional $1 from every subscriber would bring in $30,500 more monthly revenue for the News Sentinel.

And that nasty word --- fee --- will be avoided.