Unclear on the concept
Tuesday, Sep 8, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The president/CEO of the Illinois Press Association is very upset that the governor’s statewide mask-wearing publicity campaign did not purchase any newspaper ads…
We’ve been told by the governor’s office that the goal is to reach a younger demographic, and that’s why print advertising in newspapers wasn’t part of the media mix.
Ironically, a study conducted by Civis that was used to guide the campaign showed that, with the exception of adults 65 and over, there is little difference in mask wearing. […]
We understand the value of broadcast advertising to the governor’s campaign. Just like newspapers, broadcast media have been there every step of the way to get the message out about COVID-19 and the state’s response. However, there were no reporters from Facebook or any other social-media platform at any of the governor’s news conferences.
If we missed them, we apologize.
In fact, it seems that the only fact-based reporting on social media is from credible news outlets like newspapers and broadcast outlets, and those didn’t cost the state anything! As a result, Mark Zuckerberg profits while Illinois newspapers continue to struggle with economic hardships exacerbated by the pandemic.
Newspapers have disseminated the critical messages, but when it was time to receive the much-needed support of a paid advertising campaign, newspapers weren’t included.
Of the more than 400 newspapers in Illinois, 307 have accounted for the nearly 3,000 times COVID-19 coverage has been published from Capitol News Illinois (CNI), an initiative supported by Illinois newspapers. The CNI team has reported on every one of the governor’s news conferences.
Man, was that ever a huge insult to all newspaper reporters, particularly those at Capitol News Illinois. “We’re carrying your water, so wet our beaks!”
I mean, imagine the uproar from newspaper editorial boards if Speaker Madigan sent this memo to ComEd: “I have disseminated the critical messages, but when it was time to receive the much-needed support for a paid advertising campaign, I wasn’t included.”
* And check out the super-rich irony here…
- Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Sep 8, 20 @ 1:39 pm:
Why should the governor be taking advice from newspaper people? One of the most spectacularly failing industries.
- Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Sep 8, 20 @ 1:40 pm:
My comment, by the way, is in no way directed at reporters, but at the business and top editorial staff of newspapers, which these days are mostly one and the same.
- JoanP - Tuesday, Sep 8, 20 @ 1:51 pm:
“Newspapers? We don’t need no stinkin’ newspapers!” — Tribune Publishing
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/publisher-locks-capital-gazette-staff-out-of-their-building-in-annapolis/2020/09/07/8b66c1f6-f140-11ea-b796-2dd09962649c_story.html
- BlueDogDem - Tuesday, Sep 8, 20 @ 2:01 pm:
kinda disappointing. Had they advertised in the Southern, the number of pages would have increased from 3 pages to four.
- NeverPoliticallyCorrect - Tuesday, Sep 8, 20 @ 2:11 pm:
Our family subscribes to 2 daily newspapers in Illinois and this include the old parents and one younger adult child who lives at home. We love the print media but I get the decision. Young people just don’t read the paper much so you need to target where they are consuming news.
- Downstate - Tuesday, Sep 8, 20 @ 2:31 pm:
“Young people just don’t read the paper much”
Exactly. It’s a very tough business model with a precipitous decline in readership, particularly among the young people.
- Universal DH - Tuesday, Sep 8, 20 @ 2:34 pm:
As a member of the Aerial Advertising Association, I will note that the campaign has not included skywriting or banner-towing aircraft either. Outrageous!
- Rabid - Tuesday, Sep 8, 20 @ 2:42 pm:
Print media wants to shake down JB for public health notification
- Joe Bidenopolous - Tuesday, Sep 8, 20 @ 2:49 pm:
Pretty typical - they’re definitely skilled at the art of the shakedown. This is pretty far in the rear view mirror, but having worked a ton of campaigns, I can’t even count the number of times I pitched a story and immediately got pitched on advertising. It wasn’t even subtle - “buy x or we don’t run y.”
- Bondguy - Tuesday, Sep 8, 20 @ 3:21 pm:
Perhaps if the newspaper ad included a clip-out mask…..
- Mr. Smith - Tuesday, Sep 8, 20 @ 3:21 pm:
Masks don’t work. Right. That’s why there were no appreciable cases coming out of the Sturgis festival, right? And no increase as people have gone back to campuses across the country.
Oh, wait…
- Pundent - Tuesday, Sep 8, 20 @ 3:46 pm:
Requiring the government to prop up print journalism by taking out ad space sounds like socialism to me.
- Still Waiting - Tuesday, Sep 8, 20 @ 4:30 pm:
Honestly, it seems the owners of the Charleston Times-Courier, Mattoon Journal-Gazette, and all the other state papers they own are trying everything they can think of to kill off the newspaper subscriptions. Maybe the IPA could try standing up for actual printed papers on a daily basis rather than just when they think they’re missing out on some fat government ad revenue.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 8, 20 @ 4:44 pm:
I would be insulted if I were a statehouse reporter, and with another strong reporter leaving, newspapers thinking they are owed anything from anyone when it comes to any thing statehouse, that’s sadly where the papers have failed most and why the coverage they ignore by quality people is leaving.
- Wowie - Tuesday, Sep 8, 20 @ 5:52 pm:
Gov. Pritzker did not even bother to buy a single Pony Express run and only a couple thousand carrier pigeons. Unbelievable.
- Right Field - Wednesday, Sep 9, 20 @ 10:22 am:
Maybe it’s time to recognize printed legal notices are an anachronism also.