Lincoln deserves a great paper

This is the second essay in a series discussing the state of newspaper and the newspaper industry.

Fourteen years ago, Lincoln, Neb., was served by two newspapers, the morning paper, The Star and the evening paper, the Journal. In the spring of that year, this publisher served with a group of community writers who wrote weekend opinion columns. The following is reprinted in the form that it originally appeared on Saturday, April 17, 1993. The goal of reprinting the original is not to revisit the merger of the two newspapers or to second-guess the wisdom to do so. Nor is it our intent to disparage the good work of our many friends at the current publication. This publisher’s intent is to expose the readers of Prairie Fire to a long-standing belief that quality journalism comes from a wellspring of civic and societal responsibility. We hope that our modest experiment in implementing these long-held beliefs is rewarded by increased readership and advertising and an eagerness of others to write.

By W. Don Nelson

I believe the two Lincoln newspapers have declined in quality over the 20 years I have been their avid reader. I read five papers daily, and my wide range of travel experiences has allowed me to sample the newspapers of many medium-size cities on a regular basis. Comparable cities such as Charlotte, Madison, St. Petersburg and Greensboro have better papers. Despite my strong objections to many of the Omaha World-Herald’s editorial stands, I find myself reading much of the newspaper with relish. The first to inform me of the dramatic influence of Pacific Basin immigration into Lincoln, it also gives me more news about lifestyle, sports, entertainment and business.

I believe a great newspaper does four things:

*Chronicles daily events (at the City Council, on the city streets, on the Platte River, etc.);
*Educates me on circumstances or events that might otherwise lie hidden form view, called “enterprise” by journalists;
*Provokes me to challenge long-held personal beliefs about society, family and person;
*Provides community leadership directly through its publisher or editor.

I give both Lincoln papers Cs or Bs in each category, but no As. There has been slow but steady decline in enterprise and provocative ideas. Sadly, I say a desire not to offend has replaced a higher quality of journalism.

No longer the exclusive province of Runyonesque editors and journalists out to report, educate and uphold the First Amendment, newspapers have become slimmed-down models of corporate efficiency. They are run by professional managers who survive by showing annually growing pretax profits. A newspaper (the business) sells for a ridiculously high amount. My professional guess is that the Lincoln papers would sell for $50–$80 million. Such Herculean debt would scare most thoughtful investors and dampens the hope for new and invigorated ownership.

Most towns have lost all but one local newspaper. One hundred Nebraska papers have closed in the last 40 years. In 1992, eight U.S. daily newspapers closed their doors. Three more merged and three converted to weekly operation. The previous two years had similar or greater totals. Today only 34 U.S. cities, virtually all larger than Lincoln, have two daily newspapers under separate ownership. The theory that several competitive local newspapers spawn excellence in journalistic output has been overwhelmed by economic Darwinism.

The Star has been a Lee paper since the ’30s and the Journal a Seacrest family paper since 1897. However, the two Lincoln papers are published and owned by a single company called the Journal Star Printing Co. Both papers are evolving into a product of the publicly held communications giant called Lee Enterprises Inc. Lee has 19 daily newspapers (including The Star), six or so TV stations (including Channel 3 in Omaha), and 33 specialty publications (some weeklies). Lee also manufactures products for the newspaper industry. Lee directly controls The Star and indirectly influences the style and resources of the Journal by exercising budget and production decisions delegated to it by a contract. The precipitous dismissal of our beloved afternoon newspaper cartoonist [Paul Fell —Ed.] is an example of how corporate management juggernauts work their will at the pretax profit line.

Today surviving papers make money as a result of several decades of technology replacing labor. Newspapers make 70–80 percent of their money by selling advertising. Subscriptions only pay for slightly more than the paper and ink. The actual profits of the Lincoln papers are buried in a tangle of corporate accounting gibberish, but the Lincoln papers make money and lots of it. In my research I found that is common for a set of papers such as Lincoln’s to return $2–$5 million per year.

An excellent newspaper would lead to increased Lincoln household penetration and wider circulation outside of Lincoln. I do not subscribe to the notion that a generation of poor readers is driving newspaper quality down. Lincoln has several characteristics that demand a better newspaper:

*70 percent of Lincoln households now subscribe to the papers (percentage is above the average);
*High educational levels exist in the community;
*Many news-producing institutions exist here, i.e., state and local government, the university;
*And more importantly, a sizable market of intelligent, interested news consumers live here.

For all these reasons Lincoln should have an excellent paper.

How can our two average papers become excellent? Here are several options:

*Accept lower profits, put revenues to work within the newsroom;
*Expand circulation generating more net revenue to spend on upgrading the quality;
*Increase advertising, generating more revenue to put in the newsroom;
*Finally, consolidate the two newsrooms. The advertising and the production departments were consolidated years ago.

My vote is for the last option, but that is just my opinion.

The point of this article is not put forth the correct plan of action but rather to call upon the Seacrests to launch a major community effort to position our newspapers for the next century. The Seacrests have been a wellspring of personal and corporate philanthropy in Nebraska. The family has given us much in the way of excellent journalism during the last 96 years. We cannot expect a regional media conglomerate, such as Lee, to lead such a Nebraska-oriented effort alone. I’m betting that thoughtful but provocative journalism will generate new, enthusiastic and responsible readership, making the effort profitable for the newspaper and the community.

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