The Omaha World Herald

Post by **nebugeater** » Tue Oct 15, 2019 2:47 pm

ita wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 8:23 pm
Brad wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 7:48 pm Looks like the OWH refreshed their website again.
Yeah, it happened sometime today. Design is now aligned with the Journal Star and Non Pareil.

Would it make sense to merge all the papers into one and have a section for each metro and then the regional and national stuff would be all just done once?

Post by **Brad** » Wed Oct 16, 2019 2:47 am

nebugeater wrote: Tue Oct 15, 2019 2:47 pm
ita wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 8:23 pm
Brad wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 7:48 pm Looks like the OWH refreshed their website again.
Yeah, it happened sometime today. Design is now aligned with the Journal Star and Non Pareil.
Would it make sense to merge all the papers into one and have a section for each metro and then the regional and national stuff would be all just done once?

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it's one computer program/date base behind the scenes. Then when the publish a story, they tell it which websites to publish the story on.

Post by **nebugeater** » Wed Oct 16, 2019 1:20 pm

Brad wrote: Wed Oct 16, 2019 2:47 am
nebugeater wrote: Tue Oct 15, 2019 2:47 pm
ita wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 8:23 pm
Brad wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 7:48 pm Looks like the OWH refreshed their website again.
Yeah, it happened sometime today. Design is now aligned with the Journal Star and Non Pareil.
Would it make sense to merge all the papers into one and have a section for each metro and then the regional and national stuff would be all just done once?
I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it's one computer program/date base behind the scenes. Then when the publish a story, they tell it which websites to publish the story on.

I am even talking about the print paper. Call it the Hartland Gazzette

Uffda · Post by **Uffda** » Wed Oct 16, 2019 4:55 pm

I use to get just the Sunday OWH and that included the access to all online. I now get the Sunday edition of the Tampa Bay Times. It is cheaper than what I was paying for the OWH. I also have been surprised at the emails that are sent by the editor and publisher requesting feedback etc. Of course the emails are computer generated but I don't remember very much contact with OWH in all the years I took the sunday paper.

bigredmed1 · Post by **bigredmed1** » Thu Oct 17, 2019 12:52 am

Uffda wrote: Wed Oct 16, 2019 4:55 pm I use to get just the Sunday OWH and that included the access to all online. I now get the Sunday edition of the Tampa Bay Times. It is cheaper than what I was paying for the OWH. I also have been surprised at the emails that are sent by the editor and publisher requesting feedback etc. Of course the emails are computer generated but I don't remember very much contact with OWH in all the years I took the sunday paper.

I get the online WSJ. Includes the full paper, the weekly WSJ+ magazine and weekly offers including a free Harper-Collins book to download. They select 4 and you can download one free per month and get 35% off any others. I have about a dozen.

The OWH just doesn’t compete.

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Sat Oct 19, 2019 2:06 pm

I realize we are whistling into the wind, but for this 60-something it is just sad to see that a once proud (and yes pompous) local news daily has become such a paper tiger (I guess that’s also a pun). I still receive the Friday, Saturday and Sunday print versions, and a couple of times in recent weeks the delivered copy has been so lightweight it has literally blown off my driveway and clear into the yard, or in one case across the street into the neighbor’s yard. And it wasn’t even that windy.
Try to report a delivery issue and now you don’t get a live person unless you maneuver through countless prompts, and when you do it sounds as if you reach a call center in a distant city. After 11 am there is no way to report a missed paper and get it delivered to you until the following day (if ever). I swear they don’t even care any more.
And they have shrunk both the business and “Living” sections to a page or two, and tucked them inside the already shrunken Midlands or front section. Apparently they have given up on restaurant reviews, just like they have given up in hiring a local movie reviewer. It is just those local touches that make a local paper worth subscribing to!
When my subscription expires in March I may just say to heck with it. I already pay to read the NYT online.

Post by **nebugeater** » Sat Oct 19, 2019 4:59 pm

nativeomahan wrote: Sat Oct 19, 2019 2:06 pm I realize we are whistling into the wind, but for this 60-something it is just sad to see that a once proud (and yes pompous) local news daily has become such a paper tiger (I guess that’s also a pun). I still receive the Friday, Saturday and Sunday print versions, and a couple of times in recent weeks the delivered copy has been so lightweight it has literally blown off my driveway and clear into the yard, or in one case across the street into the neighbor’s yard. And it wasn’t even that windy.
Try to report a delivery issue and now you don’t get a live person unless you maneuver through countless prompts, and when you do it sounds as if you reach a call center in a distant city. After 11 am there is no way to report a missed paper and get it delivered to you until the following day (if ever). I swear they don’t even care any more.
And they have shrunk both the business and “Living” sections to a page or two, and tucked them inside the already shrunken Midlands or front section. Apparently they have given up on restaurant reviews, just like they have given up in hiring a local movie reviewer. It is just those local touches that make a local paper worth subscribing to!
When my subscription expires in March I may just say to heck with it. I already pay to read the NYT online.

I ended my subscription last December. I had subscribed since 1986. I missed it for a couple of months at most but I really was missing what was no longer there before I ended my subscription for a long time.

GrandpaaSmucker · Post by **GrandpaaSmucker** » Sun Oct 20, 2019 2:27 am

nebugeater wrote: Sat Oct 19, 2019 4:59 pm I ended my subscription last December. I had subscribed since 1986. I missed it for a couple of months at most but I really was missing what was no longer there before I ended my subscription for a long time.

Sadly I think the total lack of content in the World Herald has been detrimental to this forum. A huge amount of the posts in this forum have always been about stories that were in the paper. Those stories are just not there no more for us to read and comment on. Like you said there is nothing to miss by not reading the paper.

jag42 · Post by **jag42** » Mon Oct 21, 2019 6:51 pm

And It's $2 for a single copy of the weekday paper. Ouch.

jag42 · Post by **jag42** » Sun Oct 27, 2019 12:38 am

It seems the O W-H no longer has comment sections following articles on their website?

Post by **Brad** » Sun Oct 27, 2019 12:51 am

jag42 wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2019 12:38 am It seems the O W-H no longer has comment sections following articles on their website?

I though they got rid of that along time ago?

jag42 · Post by **jag42** » Sun Oct 27, 2019 1:02 am

Until a week or two ago, I saw comments after articles. You had to be logged in to see them.

Post by **Brad** » Sun Oct 27, 2019 1:46 am

jag42 wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2019 1:02 am Until a week or two ago, I saw comments after articles. You had to be logged in to see them.

I'm always logged in to my account, but I usually steer clear of the comments sections on the different media outlets.

damonhynes · Post by **damonhynes** » Sun Oct 27, 2019 1:48 am

jag42 wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2019 12:38 am It seems the O W-H no longer has comment sections following articles on their website?

St. Louis Pist-Disgrace (also operated by Lee) dropped their FB-linked comments, too. I guess the staff is getting tired of hearing how the emperor has no clothes.

Ankeny Husker Freak · Post by **Ankeny Husker Freak** » Sun Oct 27, 2019 8:44 pm

My Dad and stepdad in SW IA with a combined 70+ years of subscribing to the OWH have both dropped their 7 day subscriptions.

When I was in Shenandoah in SW Iowa this Summer at my Mom and stepdad's, it was after 11am when the paper hit their doorstep. I replied with why are you still wasting your money? I'm not sure which was thinner, the OWH or Des Moines Register.

Dundeemaha · Post by **Dundeemaha** » Mon Oct 28, 2019 3:11 pm

jag42 wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2019 1:02 am Until a week or two ago, I saw comments after articles. You had to be logged in to see them.

They still have them at the bottom hidden by the "Load Comments" button. Example: https://www.omaha.com/sports/college/hu ... l#comments

jessep28 · Post by **jessep28** » Mon Oct 28, 2019 4:21 pm

The weekday newspaper was always a light read, but now it only takes me about 5-10 minutes to breeze through it. I mainly scan the Midlands section for local news and that's about it.

It's not the worst deal at $99 a year for an online subscription.

Bob from Omaha · Post by **Bob from Omaha** » Mon Oct 28, 2019 5:39 pm

damonhynes wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2019 1:48 am
jag42 wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2019 12:38 am It seems the O W-H no longer has comment sections following articles on their website?
St. Louis Pist-Disgrace (also operated by Lee) dropped their FB-linked comments, too. I guess the staff is getting tired of hearing how the emperor has no clothes.

When I was a student at UNL in the 70s I got a kick out of it when the locals referred to the local paper as the "Urinal Star"

damonhynes · Post by **damonhynes** » Mon Oct 28, 2019 9:00 pm

Bob from Omaha wrote: Mon Oct 28, 2019 5:39 pm
damonhynes wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2019 1:48 am
jag42 wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2019 12:38 am It seems the O W-H no longer has comment sections following articles on their website?
St. Louis Pist-Disgrace (also operated by Lee) dropped their FB-linked comments, too. I guess the staff is getting tired of hearing how the emperor has no clothes.
When I was a student at UNL in the 70s I got a kick out of it when the locals referred to the local paper as the "Urinal Star"

:-)

jag42 · Post by **jag42** » Tue Oct 29, 2019 1:44 am

Thanks..I stand corrected on World herald comment sections! They must want to hide them...there used to be a number by the bylines that indicated how many comments there were following the article.

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Tue Oct 29, 2019 2:07 am

To be fair, the comment section is rarely a space where intelligent debate occurs. I think comment sections should be removed, maybe with an exception for op-Ed pieces.

jessep28 · Post by **jessep28** » Tue Oct 29, 2019 9:04 pm

I see a comment section while logged in with my main browsing window, but it's gone when I load the article in private browsing mode. I'm a paid subscriber though.

GrandpaaSmucker · Post by **GrandpaaSmucker** » Tue Oct 29, 2019 9:38 pm

TitosBuritoBarn wrote: Tue Oct 29, 2019 2:07 am To be fair, the comment section is rarely a space where intelligent debate occurs. I think comment sections should be removed, maybe with an exception for op-Ed pieces.

Why do you feel the need to suppress those peoples freedom of speech? I never have commented once in my entire life to a World Herald article for the record.

Bob from Omaha · Post by **Bob from Omaha** » Tue Oct 29, 2019 9:44 pm

GrandpaaSmucker wrote: Tue Oct 29, 2019 9:38 pm
TitosBuritoBarn wrote: Tue Oct 29, 2019 2:07 am To be fair, the comment section is rarely a space where intelligent debate occurs. I think comment sections should be removed, maybe with an exception for op-Ed pieces.
Why do you feel the need to suppress those peoples freedom of speech? I never have commented once in my entire life to a World Herald article for the record.

I completely agree with you. Where would the Diane Marie Hayes' of the world go to bloviate?

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Tue Oct 29, 2019 10:24 pm

GrandpaaSmucker wrote: Tue Oct 29, 2019 9:38 pm
TitosBuritoBarn wrote: Tue Oct 29, 2019 2:07 am To be fair, the comment section is rarely a space where intelligent debate occurs. I think comment sections should be removed, maybe with an exception for op-Ed pieces.
Why do you feel the need to suppress those peoples freedom of speech? I never have commented once in my entire life to a World Herald article for the record.

What purpose does it serve? Before the internet we had letters to the editor and they were both selected and edited for content by the newspaper itself. On the televised news, the people they interview are screened and edited for relevancy and competency. The comment section on a newspaper website is not edited and it shows.

You ever want to go lose faith in America? Go read the comment section on a USA Today article.

lonnie · Post by **lonnie** » Mon Nov 04, 2019 7:50 pm

Interesting change ...

The Salt Lake Tribune gets IRS approval to become a nonprofit
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2019/11/04/ ... salt-lake/

Wonder if the OWH is headed down this path ?

jag42 · Post by **jag42** » Tue Nov 05, 2019 12:46 am

I'm wondering how soon the O W-H stops publishing every day?

Cermak · Post by **Cermak** » Tue Nov 05, 2019 12:43 pm

The Monday paper is like a napkin. The incredible shrinking paper I call it. I just get the Sunday paper and mainly look at the sports. A very quick read. Wouldn’t be surprised if printed version of Monday OWH is dropped at some point. It remains to be seen if Newspapers are gonna still be around in the future. The decline of the OWH like nearly every paper has been dramatic and swift. I used to like newspapers and wouldn’t of thought this could ever happen to them , but the smart phone changed that. Smart phone is the main source of news nowadays.

Bob from Omaha · Post by **Bob from Omaha** » Tue Nov 05, 2019 12:59 pm

Harsh reality...you have a business, you put out your product, people either buy it or they don't, you succeed or fail, in the words of the Broadway show "Don't cry for me Argentina". If your product doesn't succeed it's either because another business has a superior product or because yours became less useful. How's the buggy whip business? How about the Zune? Swanson selling many TV dinners?

In the case of the OWH and the rest of the newspaper industry the clock is ticking...or it's possible that the patient is dead and just doesn't know it yet.

GrandpaaSmucker · Post by **GrandpaaSmucker** » Tue Nov 05, 2019 3:49 pm

Cermak wrote: Tue Nov 05, 2019 12:43 pm The Monday paper is like a napkin. The incredible shrinking paper I call it. I just get the Sunday paper and mainly look at the sports. A very quick read.

.........So what are those people down in that World Herald building doing

How many fools er I mean journalism professionals does it take to put out a paper like that. Either people are getting paid down there for doing little or nothing or that big building has nobody working inside it.

windsor · Post by **windsor** » Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:09 pm

GrandpaaSmucker wrote: Tue Nov 05, 2019 3:49 pm
Cermak wrote: Tue Nov 05, 2019 12:43 pm The Monday paper is like a napkin. The incredible shrinking paper I call it. I just get the Sunday paper and mainly look at the sports. A very quick read.
.........So what are those people down in that World Herald building doing How many fools er I mean journalism professionals does it take to put out a paper like that. Either people are getting paid down there for doing little or nothing or that big building has nobody working inside it.

They only had a few floors to begin with. Most of the building was leased to other businesses. That was before all the layoffs and resignations.

jag42 · Post by **jag42** » Wed Nov 06, 2019 2:06 am

I'd guess in the next few years, the World Herald cuts a day or two off per week. Two bucks for a flimsy weekday edition is really a bit much.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Wed Nov 06, 2019 6:35 am

jag42 wrote: Tue Nov 05, 2019 12:46 am I'm wondering how soon the O W-H stops publishing every day?

My guess is that possibly within the next 2-4 years, the W-H trends to printing weekend editions (Sat and Sun) only..And maintains their “daily” edition online...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Mon Nov 11, 2019 2:54 am

Some other large city newspapers have cut back or cut out daily print editions. I believe that happened a while back in New Orleans. There was a brief period of public shock, followed by apathy. Five years ago I never would have thought any of this possible. But since that time print papers have become like buggy whips and cartridge pens.

Dundeemaha · Post by **Dundeemaha** » Thu Nov 21, 2019 10:26 pm

This doubles into the TD Ameritrade thread, but this twitter thread by Matthew Hansen was on point:

This is a story Omahans should read today while thinking about the following:
1. Charles Schwab is reportedly buying Omaha’s TD Ameritrade today. HQ and jobs are at risk.
2. The World-Herald used to have an award-winning business section.
3. The OWH now has one business reporter.

Now, I do not doubt at all that whoever chases this story today for OWH will work hard and do a good job.
This isn’t a knock on the current staff. Not at all.

But the unfortunate product of years of cost cutting at the local paper is clear today. It’s clear in that no one in Omaha anticipated this. And it will remain clear in the months ahead.
It used to be someone’s job to cover TD Ameritrade.
That job no longer exists.

What should you do?
Subscribe or keep subscribing to your local newspaper.
And pay attention to experimentation happening all over country on how to best fund journalism.

His first tweet was referencing this NYTimes story about the destruction of the local news industry: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/us/l ... erica.html

lonnie · Post by **lonnie** » Fri Nov 22, 2019 1:18 am

It seems "journalism" has been replaced with "activism".

The honest; who, what, when, where and why is no longer practiced ... but rather misleading and partial truths, and outright lies are what goes as journalism today.

No wonder the "journalism" industry is in trouble, it should be.

Post by **Brad** » Fri Nov 22, 2019 4:54 am

lonnie wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 1:18 am It seems "journalism" has been replaced with "activism".

Sad but true... Nobody every wants to hear both sides anymore. They only want to hear from people that agree with them. Scary times!

damonhynes · Post by **damonhynes** » Fri Nov 22, 2019 3:09 pm

Brad wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 4:54 am
lonnie wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 1:18 am It seems "journalism" has been replaced with "activism".
Sad but true... Nobody every wants to hear both sides anymore.

Including the editorial staffs of any newspaper.

Brad wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 4:54 am They only want to hear from people that agree with them. Scary times!

And exclusive of the media, the political parties are doing a lousy job of selling their ideology. R and D lie about theirs, while L and I can't get any traction.

Bob from Omaha · Post by **Bob from Omaha** » Fri Nov 22, 2019 3:43 pm

Brad wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 4:54 am
lonnie wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 1:18 am It seems "journalism" has been replaced with "activism".
Sad but true... Nobody every wants to hear both sides anymore. They only want to hear from people that agree with them. Scary times!

And when they do "talk" to each other it's only yelling at or past. Look at college campuses. In our day kids are never taught civil discourse and seeing both sides.

Garrett · Post by **Garrett** » Fri Nov 22, 2019 7:01 pm

Bob from Omaha wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 3:43 pm
Brad wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 4:54 am
lonnie wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 1:18 am It seems "journalism" has been replaced with "activism".
Sad but true... Nobody every wants to hear both sides anymore. They only want to hear from people that agree with them. Scary times!
And when they do "talk" to each other it's only yelling at or past. Look at college campuses. In our day kids are never taught civil discourse and seeing both sides.

Don't blame my generation for the lack of civil discourse when your generation is the one that buys into Fox News and voted in Trump.