Banner discontinuing Tuesday publication

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The landscape of the news-making business changes daily.

One day, we are out covering a three-car pileup. The next day, we may be out covering a town hall meeting, basketball game or a trial at the courthouse.

Continually feeding a news-hungry public is our duty.

The Banner Graphic has undergone several changes in the past several years.

We've expanded our Internet news coverage in addition to adding several reader-friendly items, including TextCaster -- which provides up-to-date information via cell phone -- Mycapture -- which allows readers to purchase photographs through the website -- mail delivery -- which allowed us to improve our delivery to our customers -- and Marketplace -- which is our newest venture, an online phone directory.

The Banner has served the Putnam County community for more than 100 years and has seen quite a lot of growth during that span.

For years, we've offered a newspaper to subscribers Monday through Saturday, keeping pace with the ever-changing face of news.

Recent events on a national, state and local scale, however, made practically every business retool policies. Count the Banner in this as well.

The newspaper will undergo another change at the turn of the year.

Beginning Jan. 6, 2009, the Banner Graphic will no longer publish a paper on Tuesdays.

Historically, Tuesday has been our weakest day and the rising cost to put it together, print it and distribute it to the reader is too high to continue, especially with the current economic climate the nation is facing.

Across the nation and the state of Indiana, several newspapers are moving in this direction. Even large dailies like the Detroit Free Press are cutting from seven days a week home delivery to three days a week.

Heading into 2009, subscription rates for the newspaper will not change. Had we continued publishing a newspaper six days a week, subscribers would have faced a significant increase in subscription rates.

What does this mean to those who have paid for more than one month? Whatever your expiration date would have been will be extended to every Tuesday that we don't publish a paper. For example, if you have three months left on your subscription at the end of 2008, you will have 13 days added to the end of your subscription. So, instead of expiring at the end of March, it won't expire until the 13th publishing day of April.

Again, the duty of a newspaper is to provide the most up-to-date information as possible to readers. We hope to continue doing that for all of you for many years to come.

Readers are encouraged to comment on this change at www.bannergraphic.com.

Comments
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  • I appreciate the fact that I can read the entire Banner Graphic on-line. Many newspapers don't allow a person to read but a few sentences of the articles. Keep up the good work.

    -- Posted by '74tiger on Wed, Dec 31, 2008, at 5:28 AM
  • Chances are, I would not have noticed anyway. No big deal.

    -- Posted by GRNT on Wed, Dec 31, 2008, at 6:31 AM
  • Why not give up the paper on Monday where you pay for postage to ship out free papers? Just wondering and I doubt that anybody cares that you are giving up one day of paper. It's not newsworthy at all anymore!!

    -- Posted by whodouthinkur on Wed, Dec 31, 2008, at 7:18 AM
  • I agree with whodouthinkur, you should stop with the Monday paper and save a lot on postage. There really isn't much newsworthy stuff in the paper anymore anyway.

    -- Posted by magster4u on Wed, Dec 31, 2008, at 7:38 AM
  • I believe the Banner would be better off to stop mailing out free papers to everyone on Monday. I have always felt it is not right that I have to pay for my Monday paper, but others get it for free. Now you tell me I won't be getting a paper on Tuesday. What next?

    -- Posted by sadNmad on Wed, Dec 31, 2008, at 8:57 AM
  • I agree. Give up the mailings and save the money.

    Postage is increasing again with the New Year.

    -- Posted by mal on Wed, Dec 31, 2008, at 9:07 AM
  • I agree, stop Monday.

    -- Posted by mad-mom on Wed, Dec 31, 2008, at 9:08 AM
  • I agree with the others - stop the Monday free papers and save money. I receive the Banner free but would fully understand the reasoning behind the decision.

    -- Posted by dzmwrr on Wed, Dec 31, 2008, at 9:21 AM
  • I have been telling the Banner Graphic for years

    that we could do without all the National news

    that it puts in the paper and some of the

    state news as we see it on TV and also the

    Indianapolis Star. We need a local newspaper

    that tells the local news. After you take out

    the National and State news there isn't much

    left except for sports and DePauw. The people

    out of Greencastle get very little coverage and

    have stopped the Banner.

    How about some items about the other towns and

    groups out in the county.

    I live in Greencastle but still like to read about

    what is happening out of town.

    -- Posted by Voter on Wed, Dec 31, 2008, at 10:41 AM
  • I AGREE WITH STOPPING THE FREE MAILING OF THE MONDAY PAPER TO CUT YOUR COST! WHY SHOULD THOSE OF US THAT PAY FOR YOUR PAPER PAY FOR THOSE THAT DON'T PAY! FOR THAT REASON, WHEN MY SUBSCRIPTION RUNS OUT I WILL NOT RENEW! JUST ANOTHER WAY TO STICK IT TO CONSUMERS!!!!!!!!!

    -- Posted by papa on Wed, Dec 31, 2008, at 10:53 AM
  • I just read todays paper and found two full pages of nothing but film critic, movie critic, book critic. That is not newsworthy. I agree with voter, stop the national and state news. WE DO hear that on the news, and then that's over and over again with all of the news channels. We hear it at 5:00, 5:30, 6:00 and seven. Come on banner, give us some news about our own county. That's why rumors run so wild. We can't get a complete story from you!

    -- Posted by whodouthinkur on Wed, Dec 31, 2008, at 12:08 PM
  • You gotta do what you gotta do to stay profitable. Why not cut out the Saturday edition also? If it wasn't for high school football and basketball, there wouldn't be much in Saturday. By eliminating that day, it would give the sportswriters a little more time to write their story.

    -- Posted by purple_heat on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, at 7:43 AM
  • You do what you gotta do! After a Monday holiday, paperless Tuesday followed by "Whopper Wednesday"!

    -- Posted by Wait a minute on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, at 10:04 AM
  • Save your money and quit printing all together. The paper is so thin now it is hardly worth the paper it's printed on. Used to be we could read about all kind of news going on in the entire county. Now if it doesn't pertain to Greencastle or DePauw, it's not there. So, just do us all a favor and quit printing, we can get our news from WREB, at least they still go out and try to find out what is going on.

    -- Posted by Falcon9 on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, at 10:12 AM
  • I forecast a jump in toilet paper sales on Tuesday now.

    -- Posted by hoop2077 on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, at 10:23 AM
  • NO Way would they give up Mondays paper. Have u ever advertised in mondays paper? those prices are astronomical. they already saved hundreds of thousands of dollars a year when they went to the mail delivery. and remember the 50% raise from .50 cents a paper to .75 cents. people are getting tired of it.

    -- Posted by badboy46120 on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, at 11:16 AM
  • A paper is a bussiness. Thay have to accomadate ALL, not just a 10-15 in there projections for customers some want local and state news, some want national and local,ect. When you go to the supermarket do you buy everything in the store or do you buy just the things you need? When i go there may be something i see that i did not go to get,and i may buy it. You see the store carries things to accommodate several tastes not one nor everyones....I have found that people who have not ran a seccesful bussiness is always trying to tell others how to do it.

    -- Posted by Bintherdonethat on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, at 5:41 PM
  • Why did you delete my comment? It was my thought and you deleted it!!!

    -- Posted by Sunflowermel on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, at 8:42 PM
  • I questioned the free monday paper, not everyone gets a paper it's based on demographics. I don't get one. I find it a little miss leading, especially to the advertisers.

    Do away with the free Monday Banner, they are probably sending it to people how don't really want it anyway. Buy a subscription it you really want a paper.

    -- Posted by read paper on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, at 8:51 PM
  • I enjoy reading the banner on-line myself. My husband reads the actual paper. I applaud our paper and their staff. Producing a paper is not an easy job.

    -- Posted by onetwomany97 on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, at 10:30 PM
  • The Banner Graphic people have been great for me. Keep up the good work!

    -- Posted by justsay on Fri, Jan 2, 2009, at 1:26 PM
  • Man, there are a lot of Greencastle residents on here that like to complain...

    I Love my free Paper. Keep Mondays. Please.

    THanks for letting us know about Tuesadys.

    Thanks for a job well done Banner! I love your paper and enjoy reading it online and in Paper.

    Happy New Year!!

    -- Posted by luv2bmom2001 on Mon, Jan 5, 2009, at 10:04 AM
  • I"m thinking maybe you should do as the ceo's of GM and Ford did and reduce your salary, also ask your employees to take a pay cut, Lots of companies are doing that, Of course there is still a few bucks in the bail-out fund, maybe look there for some help.

    But if you continue to cut service and give me information I don't need or want, (ie. I don't care about a garage sale in Jasonville) I will be reading the paper on line only.

    And while you are at it, we also need what is left of the tv guide for Tues.

    -- Posted by gadgetguy on Tue, Jan 6, 2009, at 3:49 PM
  • gadgetguy -- kind of 'catty' aren't you. The Banner is good to the community! I like my almost daily paper, I like free Mondays in the community & I like online too! I'm with luv2bmom2001 -- THANKS Banner!

    -- Posted by BG-reader on Thu, Jan 8, 2009, at 3:20 PM
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