The Omaha World Herald

damonhynes · Post by **damonhynes** » Sat Dec 21, 2019 5:51 pm

My mom received a notice from the OWH that listed the renewal price as $56.29/mo for Omaha delivery. Because I'm really anal and a calculator is always at hand, I took 56.29 / (365.25 / 12) = and came up with 1.85.

GrandpaaSmucker · Post by **GrandpaaSmucker** » Sat Dec 21, 2019 6:54 pm

damonhynes wrote: Sat Dec 21, 2019 5:51 pm My mom received a notice from the OWH that listed the renewal price as $56.29/mo for Omaha delivery. Because I'm really anal and a calculator is always at hand, I took 56.29 / (365.25 / 12) = and came up with 1.85.

What I am starting to hear is that this charade of still being a legit newspaper has gotten so bad that even the hard core readers are coming to the realization that the paper has died and we just have not buried it yet. They are more afraid of losing the paper then worried about the price.

Post by **nebugeater** » Sun Dec 22, 2019 2:24 pm

How many metro's the size of Omaha do not have a daily newspaper now?

Padre · Post by **Padre** » Sun Dec 22, 2019 2:58 pm

nebugeater wrote: Sun Dec 22, 2019 2:24 pm How many metro's the size of Omaha do not have a daily newspaper now?

Not sure how many, but the largest is Pittsburg, the 27th largest metro area in the country, with a population of 2,324,743.

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/4037 ... -newspaper

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 3:22 pm

GrandpaaSmucker wrote: Sat Dec 21, 2019 6:54 pm
damonhynes wrote: Sat Dec 21, 2019 5:51 pm My mom received a notice from the OWH that listed the renewal price as $56.29/mo for Omaha delivery. Because I'm really anal and a calculator is always at hand, I took 56.29 / (365.25 / 12) = and came up with 1.85.
What I am starting to hear is that this charade of still being a legit newspaper has gotten so bad that even the hard core readers are coming to the realization that the paper has died and we just have not buried it yet. They are more afraid of losing the paper then worried about the price.

I agree. The subscription price, which not that long ago used to be a bargain (when you factored in not just the size and depth of what was carried in the newspaper, but also the number of advertisements and coupons), has now gone through the roof at the same time that the content has shrunk to the point where my newspaper has on occasion literally blown off the driveway.

Still, every city and town needs government watchdogs, with the time, talent and resources to keep an eye on government (from state government, school boards, county boards to utilities, the NRD, etc.). TV news barely knows up from down any longer. That is why I continue to begrudgingly subscribe. Plus, it is very easy to read the W-H online when we are out of Omaha.

GetUrban · Post by **GetUrban** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:15 pm

The OWH reporting prowess was always heavily subsidized by their ability to sell advertising. That went away with the internet and especially smartphones. Add to that people's ability, through Facebook, Twitter, etc to fine tune instantaneous news to match their political views, spelled the demise of daily printed news. The OWH was slow to adopt the new technology which didn't help either.

Edit: I should have mentioned Google and Yahoo Search engines, Craig's list, Ebay, and Amazon as contributors to the demise of printed newspapers nationwide, not just the OWH. Just as YouTube, Netflix, Hulu and streaming TV are changing the old Network TV scene, making it more obsolete too.

GrandpaaSmucker · Post by **GrandpaaSmucker** » Sat Dec 28, 2019 9:48 pm

Just a disgusting joke of a ripoff paper this outfit has put out this week. Todays Midlands section was headlined with a story telling us Fireworks are legal for the new Years celebration. Must of took a crack sharp investigative reporter all of about 20 minutes to throw that front page together. Front page was about the weather and staying safe in the cold. Are these guys worthless are what?

GetUrban · Post by **GetUrban** » Mon Dec 30, 2019 6:49 pm

GrandpaaSmucker wrote: Sat Dec 28, 2019 9:48 pm Just a disgusting joke of a ripoff paper this outfit has put out this week. Todays Midlands section was headlined with a story telling us Fireworks are legal for the new Years celebration. Must of took a crack sharp investigative reporter all of about 20 minutes to throw that front page together. Front page was about the weather and staying safe in the cold. Are these guys worthless are what?

The thing that bothers me the most about the printed paper now is the 1/2 - width full page add they wrap the front page with occasionally.

Omahacritic · Post by **Omahacritic** » Tue Dec 31, 2019 4:41 pm

Sadlly, there isn’t much difference between OWH and the free weekly Penny Saver dropped on my doorstep in the old days.

Occasionally I purchase the Sunday edition. The two front “news” sections have nothing of interest. Nothing in depth. National or international news stories are virtually nonexistent. Never a story that digs deeper into topics.

Sports? If it’s red, it bleeds. If it isn’t Nebraska or Iowa related .. nothing to be found outside of scores.

Real Estate ... the same syndicated articles I’ve read days earlier, or, rehashed 1000 times by 500 freelancers.
Business ... an occasional bit of interest.

I love newspapers. Internet news is okay, but a good newspaper could do better. If they had vision.

damonhynes · Post by **damonhynes** » Tue Dec 31, 2019 5:25 pm

nativeomahan wrote: Fri Dec 27, 2019 3:22 pm
Still, every city and town needs government watchdogs, with the time, talent and resources to keep an eye on government (from state government, school boards, county boards to utilities, the NRD, etc.). TV news barely knows up from down any longer. That is why I continue to begrudgingly subscribe. Plus, it is very easy to read the W-H online when we are out of Omaha.

Nat, the populace has spoken--unless they have a dog in the fight (a kid in OPS, for example) they generally don't care about--or can't grasp--local govt corruption. I'd wager that the elected bodies you mention have a 98% incumbent retain rate with a 15% turnout.

And if the quality of TV reporting is anything to reference, the 'journalists' at the Buffett Herald don't have the attention span for investigative journalism.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sun Jan 12, 2020 9:02 pm

New World-Herald editor:
We'll listen and stand up for Nebraskans

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Sun Jan 12, 2020 10:22 pm

Omaha Cowboy wrote: 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

I’ll stand by what I wrote here a couple months back. Only that the move will probably be within 1-2 years not 2-4...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

GrandpaaSmucker · Post by **GrandpaaSmucker** » Sun Jan 12, 2020 11:42 pm

Coyote wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 9:02 pm New World-Herald editor:
We'll listen and stand up for Nebraskans

More then likely this new editor is not my friend. His job is to come in and convince suckers like me to keep buying a paper he fills up with stories that are mostly produced by sources other then World Herald Staff. His job is to convince me that the worthless couple of pages of news I see each day in his paper have some value. He is here to snooker me and get a pay check for himself final answer.

Omahacritic · Post by **Omahacritic** » Tue Jan 14, 2020 5:00 am

Coyote wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 9:02 pm New World-Herald editor:
We'll listen and stand up for Nebraskans

The proof will be in the pudding. I won’t be subscribing any time soon.

Greg S · Post by **Greg S** » Thu Jan 16, 2020 2:28 pm

I am still a subscriber. Mainly for sports and anything on local development. I just do a Sunday paper and 7 day on line.

Greg

bigredmed1 · Post by **bigredmed1** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 1:38 am

Just ran across a deal with Sunday paper and 7 day online for $9/mo x 2 mo, then $11/mo. Decided that the number of times I need an online story was worth it.

Bob from Omaha · Post by **Bob from Omaha** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:15 pm

Holy C R A P!

Detroit Free Press, $0.99 a week, billed at $4.30 a month.
OWH $19.50 a month, PLUS a ONE TIME activation of $8.95 fee which I assume goes to Warren to pay for Dairy Queens.

Each offers 7 day digital access and Suday print delivered. What, specifically, makes the OWH so much more compelling that it's OVER 4.5 times the cost? Oh yeah, it's owned by Warren and he has no competition. The Free Press competes with the Detroit News and various suburban dailies and weeklies.

That is pathetic.

Omababe · Post by **Omababe** » Wed Jan 29, 2020 2:27 pm

The Talking Heads this morning are reporting that Berkshire-Hathaway will be selling off all of their newspapers, including WH.

Film at 11.

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Wed Jan 29, 2020 2:29 pm

Lee Enterprises, who also owns the Lincoln Journal Star, has bought the OWH and other newspapers.

https://journalstar.com/business/local/ ... -top-story

Lee Enterprises, which owns 50 newspapers including the Lincoln Journal Star, will purchase BH Media Group, including the Omaha World-Herald.

The agreement was announced Wednesday morning.

As part of the $140 million deal, Berkshire Hathaway -- the Omaha-based company run by Warren Buffett -- will provide $576 million in long-term financing to Lee at a 9% annual rate. That covers Lee's approximately $400 million of existing debt.

In Nebraska, Lee publishes daily papers in Lincoln, Beatrice, Columbus, and Fremont. In addition to Omaha, BH Media daily newspapers in Nebraska include Grand Island, North Platte, Kearney, Scottsbluff and York.

Post by **Brad** » Wed Jan 29, 2020 2:46 pm

almighty_tuna wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 2:29 pm
As part of the $140 million deal, Berkshire Hathaway -- the Omaha-based company run by Warren Buffett -- will provide $576 million in long-term financing to Lee at a 9% annual rate. That covers Lee's approximately $400 million of existing debt.

The story on the radio said that Berkshire will make more off the 9% interest rate than they did the actual news papers...

damonhynes · Post by **damonhynes** » Wed Jan 29, 2020 4:35 pm

Omababe wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 2:27 pm The Talking Heads this morning are reporting that Berkshire-Hathaway will be selling off all of their newspapers, including WH.

Film at 11.

<sarcasm>Never saw that coming.</'casm>

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Wed Jan 29, 2020 4:52 pm

In my experience with the Journal Star and the Post Dispatch here in St. Louis, Lee seems pretty respectable.

Post by **nebugeater** » Wed Jan 29, 2020 5:25 pm

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 think the probability of this happening with Lincoln and Omaha just increased dramatically.

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Wed Jan 29, 2020 5:27 pm

Bob from Omaha wrote: Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:15 pmWhat, specifically, makes the OWH so much more compelling that it's OVER 4.5 times the cost? Oh yeah, it's owned by Warren and he has no competition. The Free Press competes with the Detroit News and various suburban dailies and weeklies.

Question asked. Question answered.

Bob from Omaha · Post by **Bob from Omaha** » Wed Jan 29, 2020 7:22 pm

Well. with the sale this becomes the first time in 1000 years (yes, one thousand) that the OWH doesn't have local ownership. Where is the best place to watch the sky fall?

jessep28 · Post by **jessep28** » Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:10 pm

Lincoln Journal Star, and most of the general circulation newspapers in this state were owned by Berkshire until today's announcement. They were managed by Lee in the same manner as OWH was.

My first thought when I saw the news was that the writers union's not going to like this, lol.

West_O_Wino · Post by **West_O_Wino** » Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:14 pm

I called the OWH on Monday to cancel the 7-day subscription I've had since 1976. Yes, after 44 years I'm finally giving up my newspaper habit. It's really sad that the quality of the paper has declined so much. I couldn't justify the $57 per month I was paying for it.

Post by **nebugeater** » Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:22 pm

West_O_Wino wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:14 pm I called the OWH on Monday to cancel the 7-day subscription I've had since 1976. Yes, after 44 years I'm finally giving up my newspaper habit. It's really sad that the quality of the paper has declined so much. I couldn't justify the $57 per month I was paying for it.

Not quite as many years bit I did the same thing 13 months ago after subscribing since 1984. Took a few months but don't miss it now.

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Wed Jan 29, 2020 11:03 pm

I guess none of us know exactly what the future of the W-H or any other print media will be in 2, 5 or 10 years. I suspect, based on present trends and my own changing habits, that printed media will continue to shrink in visibility for years to come. I was in Denver Sunday, and grabbed a copy of the Denver Post. I have been reading the Post for decades, on and off as my travels took me to Colorado. The Post, like most US papers, is a mere shadow of what it was a decade ago. Yet it remains an important resource for news and information. The same can be said for the World-Herald.
Without question most people obtain the lion’s share of their news from either TV or their phone or tablet. Ten years ago I pretty much stopped buying CDs, after scoffing at that possibility for years. I still buy Blu-Ray videos but maybe only one a month, and sometimes from the bargain bin at Walmart (they are still sold in quantity in México, and usually for the equivalent of $5-10 US dollars). And for many years I never passed up the opportunity to purchase a copy of the local daily newspaper when I traveled. I only do that on occasion now, if I have a long airport layover. Habits change. Younger people today never grew up reading print media. It is an anachronism for them. It might seem quaint, or odd, but hardly relevant to their lives. Warren Buffet knows this, and that was one reason for him bailing on print media.

Cermak · Post by **Cermak** » Wed Jan 29, 2020 11:54 pm

I was surprised when Buffet bought The World Herald. Maybe he was just trying to help the Paper out, I wonder if he made money with today’s sale ?. I only subscribe to the Sunday print paper now. It’s amazing how fast print newspapers have died out. I could see the World Herald going to online only in another 5 years or even sooner. Even just 10 years ago newspapers were still pretty big. But smart phones ended that dominance.

damonhynes · Post by **damonhynes** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 1:03 am

Bob from Omaha wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 7:22 pm Well. with the sale this becomes the first time in 1000 years (yes, one thousand) that the OWH doesn't have local ownership. Where is the best place to watch the sky fall?

I remember when Mike Kelly was the first to break the story of 1054 Crab Nebula explosion!

Post by **Brad** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 3:18 am

Cermak wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 11:54 pm I wonder if he made money with today’s sale ?.

I posted earlier in this thread that he will make more off the 9% interest he is charging them, than he did with the revenue from the paper.

IF I did my math right, 576,000,000 at 9% over 20 years (assumed) he will end up selling it for $1,243,781,161.37 ($667,781,161.37 in interest).

I'm not a banker so I am not sure how exactly it would work.

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 5:17 am

So correct me if I’m wrong here but Warren bought his home town paper. Then had Lee manage the paper by gutting it and paying the people that were left terrible wages (I saw a figure the average salary was about $38K). Then sold it to that management company for a good profit.

U R my Helix · Post by **U R my Helix** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 5:46 am

I subscribe daily and will continue to support the local paper as long as the content remains the high-quality news source it has always been. That said, we can likely all agree that the internet has decreased the profitability of owning a paper but …. They did bring on their own demise in part. One of the largest sections of the paper and the largest source of revenue in my opinion used to be the real estate section. I know I am showing my age here but a 1x1 ad used to be about $150 to $250 if memory serves me correctly. Yet if you wanted to post a blurb with a photo wishing someone a happy birthday or pine for a lost pet the cost was $10 to run it for a week. Every real estate agent, landlord, and home seller ran for the hills and embraced the alternative methods of advertising offered by the internet rather than continuing to pay the increasing costs to post a property for rent or sale. Hindsight as they say is 20-20 but the papers brought their financial woes upon themselves by increasing the costs to their base advertisers rather then adjusting them to changing times.

Omahacritic · Post by **Omahacritic** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 7:32 am

If only there was good content.

damonhynes · Post by **damonhynes** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 2:53 pm

Omahacritic wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2020 7:32 am If only there was good content.

Chicken/egg. As much as I decry 'news lite', that's what the public in general wants.

bigredmed1 · Post by **bigredmed1** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 3:24 pm

damonhynes wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2020 2:53 pm
Omahacritic wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2020 7:32 am If only there was good content.
Chicken/egg. As much as I decry 'news lite', that's what the public in general wants.

Its one thing to get a brief news blurb instead of a 2000 word piece, but at least give me the blurb. The OWH misses so many local stories (especially in sports) that they can hardly be counted on to be a reliable source of data about Omaha. Now a friend tells me that the LJS staff will take over the design and graphics of the OWH so that will not improve things (if true).

WBR_Tom · Post by **WBR_Tom** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 5:48 pm

bigredmed1 wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2020 3:24 pm
damonhynes wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2020 2:53 pm
Omahacritic wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2020 7:32 am If only there was good content.
Chicken/egg. As much as I decry 'news lite', that's what the public in general wants.
Its one thing to get a brief news blurb instead of a 2000 word piece, but at least give me the blurb. The OWH misses so many local stories (especially in sports) that they can hardly be counted on to be a reliable source of data about Omaha. Now a friend tells me that the LJS staff will take over the design and graphics of the OWH so that will not improve things (if true).

It's only a matter of time before Lee Enterprises decides it doesn't make financial sense to operate two separate papers 50 miles apart. They'll merge the Journal-Star and the OWH into one newspaper and publish under one masthead for both cities. It will start by sharing office staff across the two papers -- design and graphics, sales, etc., like you said. Then you'll see editorial staff getting bylines in both papers -- you'll start to see LJS reporters published in the OWH and vice versa. That's what Lee did in the Quad Cities; they bought two papers serving somewhat overlapping markets and slowly merged them together. Now the QC Dispatch (on the Illinois side) and QC Times (on the Iowa side) are basically identical papers except for the logo at the top.

At some level it makes sense. Why should they pay 10 people to cover the Huskers for two papers when they could pay 5 people to cover them in both papers? They could halve their advertising sales departments, save publishing costs, and eliminate other redundancies.

On another level it's why a giant company owning every newspaper in the state is not so great.

Dundeemaha · Post by **Dundeemaha** » Thu Jan 30, 2020 6:04 pm

Just in Nebraska, they now own the papers in Omaha, Lincoln, Beatrice, Columbus, Fremont, North Platte, Kearney and Grand Island. (Also Council Bluffs). I'd guess they consolidate roughly all of those into effectively 1 paper, with 1-2 dedicated to North Platte, Kearney, and Grand Island. Maybe they keep the names, but the staff, production, etc all gets consolidated.

Omahacritic · Post by **Omahacritic** » Fri Jan 31, 2020 1:25 am

damonhynes wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2020 2:53 pm
Omahacritic wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2020 7:32 am If only there was good content.
Chicken/egg. As much as I decry 'news lite', that's what the public in general wants.

Attempting to meet those need is exactly why OWH is failing. Buffet forgot his basic tenets. He owned a local version of USA Today. Same thing you can get on a news-feed.

Some people want “quick” news. But there a tons of others than want depth in the news coverage.

For all the talk Buffet gives about being under-taxed, and giving his money to charity .... he can’t stand to operate a newspaper for the public good ... at a loss. I like the man, but in that respect he is a sham artist.