Clint Cooper, editor for the conservative side of the editorial pages in the Chattanooga Times Free Press, told members of the Kiwanis Club that when the Chattanooga Times and the Chattanooga News Free Press merged, both editorial pages were retained. He said that has not been done anywhere else that he is aware of and is considered to be of great value to the newspaper.
The transition of the newspaper to a digital publication that took place earlier this year was a topic he discussed.
At this time when many cities have gone to only a web edition of their papers, he said that Walter Hussman, publisher of the paper, chose to go a different way. He decided to furnish iPads to customers and the digital version is delivered to the device. This has removed the costs associated with home delivery and printing, while being able to maintain local journalists and some investigative reporting. He said Mr. Hussman believes that providing local journalism is what a newspaper should do.
Asked about use of digital papers nationwide, he said in the Chattanooga area there are still 60 people in the local newsroom, just about double the amount in other newsrooms in the state of Tennessee. He said the conversion to digital followed the successful track record set by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock, which has statewide circulation, and is also owned by Mr. Hussman. If he saw it was failing in Arkansas before the change was made in Chattanooga, it would not have been converted here, said Mr. Cooper. The CTFP is still printed and delivered on Sundays and he said a limited number of papers are still printed each day and are available to buy from retail stores. Beyond these two newspapers, Mr. Cooper does not know if this method of providing iPads is being used elsewhere.
Delivering information from many newspapers around the country is now just through their websites, the speaker said. It varies, he said, with some having a printed edition two or three times a week, and others continuing to print it all seven days. Just last week, he said, AL.com in Alabama announced that printing the paper three days a week would be discontinued and it will be going to full-time digital.
The age demographics of using a phone, laptop or an iPad versus reading the printed edition of the paper is skewed to the printed version for an older demographic, he said. However, since the digital conversion, he said the numbers have probably gotten closer. He said a lot of people who had said they could not live without the printed paper have found that they can and that many people are happy with it.
The answer to another question was “I don’t know.” If a customer discontinues their subscription, the iPad they were given must be returned. The iPads that are provided to subscribers can be used personally, and private information and photos are stored on them. Mr. Cooper said personal information will need to be erased if they are turned in, but that few people would know how that can be done, including himself.