Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: What column-width does your local paper use?

This is topic What column-width does your local paper use? in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Anslem Rayburn (Member # 1267) on 05-12-2008, 11:15 PM:

For those running ads, what column-width is your local newspaper using? Ours seems to keep shrinking, and I was curious how it stacked up to other areas.

June of 2006, one column was 2" wide.

August of 2007, one column was reduced to 1.775"

Starting tomorrow, one colum is being reduced again to 1.556"

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 05-13-2008, 09:24 AM:

Do they reduce the price accordingly? Louis

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 05-13-2008, 01:39 PM:

Newspaper ad sizes keep getting smaller and the prices keep getting bigger. Pretty contradictory, especially when the circulation numbers are also getting smaller.

It's sort of like a TV station raising its ad rates after a ratings drop.
[Roll Eyes]

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-13-2008, 02:36 PM:

Our local paper has used a 1.75" column for years. It used to be 1.9" I think, but the pages got narrower (and shorter too, if I remember right). The paper now is about 75% the size it was 30 years ago, but the type is a lot bigger!

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 05-13-2008, 03:00 PM:

The spin is that narrow pages mean less newsprint being used meaning fewer trees coming down...

Posted by Anslem Rayburn (Member # 1267) on 05-13-2008, 09:43 PM:

I believe prices have gone up, but am not sure.

The columns get smaller, so less paper (and ink) is used, saving the newspaper money, but they do not pass those savings on.

We run a large ad everyday of the week, and some extra ads occasionally throughout the year, and don't even get a complimentary subscription. We have to go buy the paper every day to make sure the ad was printed properly!

Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 05-14-2008, 06:23 AM:

Anslem

quote:
We have to go buy the paper every day to make sure the ad was printed properly!

Our local paper supplies "tear sheets" of each day's ads with their billing. It is valuable for us to have them when they put our ad in the church page and not with the other theatres on Saturday.

Perhaps you could ask the paper for tear sheets of your ads. They might just give you a free copy of the paper since it would be way cheaper for them.

KEN [Wink]

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-14-2008, 07:54 PM:

I can see them not giving you a comp subscription, but you should get tear sheets at least! Or failing that, a proof of your ad. But I never heard of a paper that doesn't supply tear sheets on request.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 05-23-2008, 07:42 PM:

On my recent vacation back home, I noticed our hometown newspaper had also gotten narrower, with correspondingly smaller columns. I wouldn't say it's quite tabloid size yet, but it's getting close.

Also noticed the neighboring city's paper got narrower, too. Must be an industry trend.