The Omaha World Herald

[nebugeater]

It wasn’t published in 2022. I don’t think it was published in 2021.
They don’t publish much of nothing any more. There is really no longer a Sunday advertisement insert. Or a Saturday automotive section, And even mail delivery of a mid-week “food” section has completely stopped. They no longer publish weekend editorials either, it seems.
Will the last one left please remember to turn out the lights.

There is a good chance the lights are already off.

[Bob from Omaha]

It's too bad. Really. That section, in it's height, really laid out what was happening in Omaha across a broad swath of industries, education, social services, sports, economic development, labor, and more.
And now, the patient is dead and doesn't even know it.

[TagYoureIt]

I mean look at their website - just reposts of national news, KETV type of crime reports, little to no actual local news and "sponsored" clickbait articles. OWH is a joke.

[Garrett]

I mean look at their website - just reposts of national news, KETV type of crime reports, little to no actual local news and "sponsored" clickbait articles. OWH is a joke.

Don't forget sports. Lots and lots of sports.

[Garrett]

A post on reddit is saying the OWH will only be publishing 3 days per week starting in June

[Dusty]

A post on reddit is saying the OWH will only be publishing 3 days per week starting in June

At this point, why even bother? How many still read the printed version?
They should just go digital only. Besides, it would be nice to expand the Capitol District to 13th Street.

[nebugeater]

A post on reddit is saying the OWH will only be publishing 3 days per week starting in June

So I assume with this news, if fact, the price goes up.

[S.O.Boy]

A post on reddit is saying the OWH will only be publishing 3 days per week starting in June

[BRoss]

Supposedly it doesn't impact OWH. Just the smaller papers Lee Enterprises owns.

[WBR_Tom]

Doesn't affect Omaha/Lincoln (yet) but the larger rumor appears to be true. This from a newspaper in Montana, a state which, like Nebraska, has most of its' small town papers owned by Lee:

Four people who spoke to the Daily Montanan on condition of anonymity, confirmed the company is planning to reduce its printing schedule in all publications, except for 20 of its largest titles...

Sources also confirmed that advertisers are being told about the changes because of the shift in printing days. It is also not known what days the print edition of the newspapers will publish. Some sources were told the change would take place this summer.

https://dailymontanan.com/2023/04/27/so ... ting-days/

On a somewhat-related note, I was looking at some recent press clippings for a client at work last week and while I knew Lee owned a ton of small Nebraska papers, it really hit home to see all of them side-by-side at one time -- Beatrice, Bellevue, Columbus, Fremont, Grand Island, Gretna, Kearney, Lexington, North Platte, Papillion (plus, ya know, Omaha and Lincoln), all with the same exact Lee Enterprises website design template. The only way to tell any of them apart was the URL and the logo in the top corner. While the Norfolk paper's website isn't well-designed it was a breath of fresh air simply by being different.

[Bob from Omaha]

We moved to Michigan in 2008 & in September of that year the two local papers, the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News which are separately owned but printed together, announced that home delivery of the printed editions would be cut back to Thursday, Friday and Sunday. We can still buy printed editions in stores or pay a third party to deliver to our house. That was about 15 years ago & the printed editions are quite a bit smaller than back in the day.

Having said that they are still head and shoulders better than the OWH. Tons of local news and columnists still on the payroll.

[nebugeater]

Doesn't affect Omaha/Lincoln (yet) but the larger rumor appears to be true. This from a newspaper in Montana, a state which, like Nebraska, has most of its' small town papers owned by Lee:

Four people who spoke to the Daily Montanan on condition of anonymity, confirmed the company is planning to reduce its printing schedule in all publications, except for 20 of its largest titles...

Sources also confirmed that advertisers are being told about the changes because of the shift in printing days. It is also not known what days the print edition of the newspapers will publish. Some sources were told the change would take place this summer.

https://dailymontanan.com/2023/04/27/so ... ting-days/

On a somewhat-related note, I was looking at some recent press clippings for a client at work last week and while I knew Lee owned a ton of small Nebraska papers, it really hit home to see all of them side-by-side at one time -- Beatrice, Bellevue, Columbus, Fremont, Grand Island, Gretna, Kearney, Lexington, North Platte, Papillion (plus, ya know, Omaha and Lincoln), all with the same exact Lee Enterprises website design template. The only way to tell any of them apart was the URL and the logo in the top corner. While the Norfolk paper's website isn't well-designed it was a breath of fresh air simply by being different.

The Bellevue, Gretna, and Papillion papers no longer exist. They are now all combined into one now called the Saryp County Times and when that happened the cost went up about 50% and coverage dropped by 75%

[Big E]

Do people, other than boomers that can't internet, actually care if the physical paper goes away, assuming the coverage and content remains the same value for the online addition?

For the life of me I can't wrap my head around wanting to get a paper once daily vs being able to get updates and breaking info 24/7 online.

[Louie]

Do people, other than boomers that can't internet, actually care if the physical paper goes away, assuming the coverage and content remains the same value for the online addition?

For the life of me I can't wrap my head around wanting to get a paper once daily vs being able to get updates and breaking info 24/7 online.

I'd be very curious to hear what the average age is of a subscriber. Certainly over 60, if not 70.

[almighty_tuna]

It's handy to get the coals going when I fire up my smoker. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Big E]

I'd be very curious to hear what the average age is of a subscriber. Certainly over 60, if not 70.

At this point their subscriber base is limited to basically anyone that doesn't know how to clear their browser cookies.

[Louie]

I'd be very curious to hear what the average age is of a subscriber. Certainly over 60, if not 70.

At this point their subscriber base is limited to basically anyone that doesn't know how to clear their browser cookies.

Why would I clear a cookie? After I bake a couple dozen for the grandkids, they eat em all up!

[S.O.Boy]

I'd be very curious to hear what the average age is of a subscriber. Certainly over 60, if not 70.

At this point their subscriber base is limited to basically anyone that doesn't know how to clear their browser cookies.

Only the ones on automatic renewal, if OWH is asking $200 for 13 weeks

[Garrett]

Interesting to not see a World-Herald story about the new parks system opening. I'd imagine that would be pretty big and easy news to cover.

[jag42]

Interesting to not see a World-Herald story about the new parks system opening. I'd imagine that would be pretty big and easy news to cover.

Probably don't have much of anyone on staff to report on it.

[Garrett]

Interesting to not see a World-Herald story about the new parks system opening. I'd imagine that would be pretty big and easy news to cover.

Probably don't have much of anyone on staff to report on it.

Just plenty of staff to report on every high school football game

[nebugeater]

Interesting to not see a World-Herald story about the new parks system opening. I'd imagine that would be pretty big and easy news to cover.

Probably don't have much of anyone on staff to report on it.

Just plenty of staff to report on every high school football game

Many if not most of those stories and stats are submitted by the schools themselves.

[ita]

Interesting to not see a World-Herald story about the new parks system opening. I'd imagine that would be pretty big and easy news to cover.

They must of ran it in their Sunday print.

Omahans wowed by new riverfront parks during opening weekend

[nativeomahan]

Once again the World-Herald newspaper has decided not to publish a newspaper today.

[nebugeater]

Once again the World-Herald newspaper has decided not to publish a newspaper today.

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there...........

[S.O.Boy]

I had multiple emails from OWH with low rates. Its a little late for that.

[GenX]

I had multiple emails from OWH with low rates. Its a little late for that.

I got five separate emails from them on Sunday alone.

[Toto]

Drove north on 14th street the other day. The landscaping is so overgrown along the print building, the World Herald looks like its out of business. Can they no longer afford general maintenance?

[S.O.Boy]

Drove north on 14th street the other day. The landscaping is so overgrown along the print building, the World Herald looks like its out of business. Can they no longer afford general maintenance?

Might have been being done by the reporters that were let go.

[nativeomahan]

The Sunday October 1, 2023 edition of the World-Herald contained their legally required Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation, which is published at about this time of year each year.
The extensive list of owners comes from, in order:
Toronto, Ontario
Alta, Wyoming
Miami Beach, Florida
Davenport, Iowa
Buffalo, NY
Darien, CT
Miami, FL (misspelled as “Maimi”)
Malvern, PA
NY, NY
Davenport, IA
Davenport, IA
Austin, TX
Carlisle, MA
Aspen, CO
Media, PA
and Greenwich (misspelled as Greewich), CT

No one in Omaha or near Omaha is listed as having an ownership interest.

The total number of printed copies of the Sunday paper was listed as 30,791, of which 28,390 were actually paid for. The remainder were unsold copies.
This figure represents about an 86% reduction from the heyday of the newspaper in the 1980s, when well over 200,000 copies were typically printed. There were no digital subscriptions back then of course.

I found it interesting that for the very first time the total number of digital only subscriptions (31,677) now exceeds printed copies (30,791).

It’s amazing, and sad, to me (though not surprising) that in a metro area of close to 1 million people, and over 300,000 households, so few read the area’s only general interest newspaper.

This is a national, and to a lesser extent international trend. The World-Herald is swimming against the tide as the public for the most part abandons print media in favor of, well, who the heck knows? Netflix, hulu and other streaming media? Video games?

[NEDodger]

The Sunday October 1, 2023 edition of the World-Herald contained their legally required Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation, which is published at about this time of year each year.
The extensive list of owners comes from, in order:
Toronto, Ontario
Alta, Wyoming
Miami Beach, Florida
Davenport, Iowa
Buffalo, NY
Darien, CT
Miami, FL (misspelled as “Maimi”)
Malvern, PA
NY, NY
Davenport, IA
Davenport, IA
Austin, TX
Carlisle, MA
Aspen, CO
Media, PA
and Greenwich (misspelled as Greewich), CT

No one in Omaha or near Omaha is listed as having an ownership interest.

The total number of printed copies of the Sunday paper was listed as 30,791, of which 28,390 were actually paid for. The remainder were unsold copies.
This figure represents about an 86% reduction from the heyday of the newspaper in the 1980s, when well over 200,000 copies were typically printed. There were no digital subscriptions back then of course.

I found it interesting that for the very first time the total number of digital only subscriptions (31,677) now exceeds printed copies (30,791).

It’s amazing, and sad, to me (though not surprising) that in a metro area of close to 1 million people, and over 300,000 households, so few read the area’s only general interest newspaper.

This is a national, and to a lesser extent international trend. The World-Herald is swimming against the tide as the public for the most part abandons print media in favor of, well, who the heck knows? Netflix, hulu and other streaming media? Video games?

Echo chamber political “news” sites, unfortunately.

[skinzfan23]

Thanks for providing the numbers. I still miss the days when I was a kid and delivered the OWH in the afternoon and we also received a morning paper as well.

[Bob from Omaha]

This is absolutely pathetic. 30k print copies? I remember when they printed over 300k. Whatever. It's a ghost of what it once was. Peter Kiewit didn't want outside ownership so he bought it.

As far as current ownership, Lee Enterprises owns it. Lee is a public company. I assume a large percentage of the stock is held by Lee family members. As for non Omaha ownership, the closest thing to that is Berkshire, who is (as far as I can tell) the only entity that Lee owes money to. Buffet loaned them $400 million when they bought Berkshire Media. 9% interest.

Here's some Wiki history...OWH history wiki

The printing plant can print 75,000 copies per hour. So in a half hour it can print the entire run? Woof

[Big E]

Lee Enterprises as a whole is basically on life support now, too. Down from a nearly $3 billion market cap 20 years ago to $63 million today. The one thing the OWH owned that is still worth something - thier land and buildings - wasn't even part of the purchase of the newspaper.

I'm not sure I can make an analogy to another entire industry that should have been able to change with the times but wouldn't or couldn't.

[WorldStreet]

I wonder what the minimum subscription numbers need to be to keep the World Herald in business. I'm an on-line subscriber because I'm away part of the year. One reason I continue to subscribe is that it feels more and more like a civic duty.

[nativeomahan]

I wonder what the minimum subscription numbers need to be to keep the World Herald in business. I'm an on-line subscriber because I'm away part of the year. One reason I continue to subscribe is that it feels more and more like a civic duty.

I feel pretty much the same way. We subscribe to the Sunday print and online. I constantly have trouble with the online version. When it works it still only gives me what little is available in the print edition.

A once proud and influential Midwest media giant is little more than a hollowed out shell of its former self. I realize this same story repeats itself in most U.S. cities. It’s still sad. I used to be a newspaper junkie. I would routinely purchase the Sunday Chicago Tribune from the Read All About It chain, as it was a “big city” paper with an extensive arts and entertainment section. Even the Trib has been hollowed out.

[GenX]

William Jennings Bryan is spinning in his grave

[nativeomahan]

Bloodiest war against Israel in 50 years breaks out yesterday (late Friday night Omaha time) and not one word of coverage on the story in the primary main news section of the Sunday World-Herald.
Either the editors are totally tone deaf or the main “news” section of the newspaper is printed days earlier. Not one story in the first 12 pages related to anything that happened Friday or Saturday.

[Big E]

But there’s a pumpkin tree in Papillion.

A PUMPKIN TREE

[thenewguy]

But there’s a pumpkin tree in Papillion.

A PUMPKIN TREE

whoa whoa slow down professor. A tree...made of pumpkins?

That's an alien lifeform, bro. Nothin is bigger than aliens.