A letter to subscribers of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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In a letter to subscribers this past weekend, Walter E. Hussman Jr., publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, outlined an experiment the paper undertook last year in Blytheville, Ark., designed to confront the reality of declining profits.  And, he called on all subscribers to embrace the digital iPad version of the newspaper.

For the first time in over 20 years, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette lost money in 2018. "Our profit had declined every year for a decade, but we were now unprofitable and losses would be mounting," he wrote.

"Confronted with this reality, one logical option was to cut back on unprofitable circulation in remote areas of the state, something most newspapers had done years earlier," the letter said. "But realizing that newspapers are not just a business, but a public trust vital to our democracy, we tried to determine some way we could continue to be a statewide newspaper delivered to all 75 counties. We knew that thousands of our subscribers had started reading the exact replica of the newspaper on their own iPad. Most told us they liked it so much they had continued their subscription but had stopped reading the print copy."

Regarding the experiment last year in Blytheville, Ark., 186 miles from Little Rock, Hussman wrote: "It was very expensive and unprofitable to deliver to 200 subscribers in an area with about 5,000 households. We realized we could deliver the exact same newspaper in the exact same format but on an iPad rather than on paper. We also realized that many of our subscribers did not own an iPad. So we included an iPad with the subscription, allowing them to read an even better version of their paper. But we knew many would not know how to use it. So we decided to offer one-on-one customer service. We sat down with each of our subscribers and gave them their iPad, showed them how to use it, and showed them how they could read the newspaper on it. We did this in a local Holiday Inn, one on one, and with some subscribers unable to come to the Holiday Inn, we went to their homes and delivered the iPad and explained how to use it.

"The Blytheville experiment was successful with over 70% of our subscribers converting to the iPad. We did a survey later, and we found most subscribers were reading it as frequently as the print edition. Most said they found it hard to believe, but they actually liked the newspaper better on an iPad.

"We determined that if 70% or more of our subscribers converted from the print edition to the iPad, we could eliminate considerable costs in production, newsprint and delivery expenses. We found that if subscribers paid the existing full subscription price, we could turn an unprofitable newspaper into a profitable one again. And we could do this without reducing any cost in our newsroom, allowing us to continue to offer complete coverage and deliver it throughout the state of Arkansas. Today, we have over 100 staffers in our newsroom compared to, for example, The Denver Post with 60.

"Over the past year, we have now converted subscribers from newsprint to an iPad in most of the counties in the state. And they have told us the same thing: they read the iPad version just as regularly, and surprisingly to them, they like it even better."

Here's why readers like the iPad version:

  • The most popular feature is the ability to enlarge the type, simply by touching the article and spreading two fingers apart on the screen. This makes the type larger, and it is much easier to read the newspaper.
  • The clarity of the type and photos on the iPad are much sharper than in print. And on the iPad, every photo in the replica is in color.
  • Articles can be shared with friends or family. You can do this simply by pressing a few buttons and sending by email, or on social media such as Facebook or Twitter.
  • News items can be read aloud to you from your iPad. This is convenient when you are in a car or somewhere else where you can't devote your visual attention to reading the paper.
  • The paper is delivered in your house, not outdoors, so no more going out in the cold or on a rainy morning to get the paper. The iPad edition also has later news, with everyone in the state getting the city edition, and it's delivered earlier, almost always before 4 a.m.
  • The newspaper can also be delivered and downloaded to your iPad anywhere, even if you are in another state. It is also portable, and once you download the newspaper, you can carry it with you anywhere.
  • You can store the past 60 days of editions on your iPad. So if someone asks you, "Did you see that article in the paper the other day?" you don't worry that the paper has already been discarded.
  • With an iPad and our subscription, you can now access free of charge all of the archives of the newspaper.
In the letter to subscribers, Hussman called on all Arkansas Democract-Gazette readers to embrace the iPad replica newspaper experience. "If we have not yet contacted you," the letter read, "we will be sending you a letter sometime later this year inviting you to sit down with one of our representatives to show you how to enhance your reading experience with the newspaper seven days a week and still receive the Sunday print edition. By continuing your subscription, you will help support journalism and the quality of our news and reporting for years to come. "

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