Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: The Honolulu Advertiser

This is topic The Honolulu Advertiser - An end of a era in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 05-31-2010, 05:54 PM:

The Honolulu Advertiser began publication as The Commercial Advertiser on July 2, 1856, almost a hundred a fifty four years ago and on Sunday, June 6, 2010, it will publish it's final edition and will no longer exist after that date. The Hawaii newspaper publishing firm was recently purchased by David Back the owner and publisher of the smaller Honolulu Star Bulletin from the Gannett Company and the two paper will merge and will be known as The Honolulu Star Advertiser with it's first edition on Tuesday, June 7th. Unless a buyer can be found to continue to operate the 2nd Honolulu major daily newspaper, The hundred and twenty eight year old Honolulu Star Bulletin will be shut down and Honolulu will only have one newspaper in about a month.

It is a sad day to see two great newspaper in Honolulu go the route of many newspaper all over the country by merging or shutting down because of changing times and the economy. It is also sad to realize that both newspapers were already established before Hawaii was annexed to the United States in 1899 and was informing the public about what was happening outside of the Kingdom of Hawaii when the islands was ruled by kings and a queen.

-Claude

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 05-31-2010, 11:01 PM:

It's a sad thing to see any newspaper fail, but as you said times have indeed changed. Newspapers must reinvent themselves if they are to stay relevant.

So many local newspapers have coasted in recent decades by merely parroting wire stories from the Associated Press, Reuters and United Press International.

The New York Times also got into the business of syndicating its stories to other papers and wound up cannibalizing some of its own business. What was even more laughable was how the Times expected its readers to pony up for premium online news subscriptions when those readers could find most of the same stories on the Internet at online versions of other newspapers.

Pride is one of those so called seven deadly sins and many newspapers, especially publications with long histories operating in big cities, were filled full of pride. They calculated wrongly that the general public would prefer to get the news from them one day old based on the prestige of their publishing institutions. They didn't count on the public being able to get the same current events news online for free.

Most newspapers have done little to nothing to adjust for the paradigm shift. Newspapers printed on dead trees no longer have a viable business model of reporting regular current events on a national scale. Newspapers must start delivering a product that readers cannot find online. That translates to having a greater emphasis on local news and features of local interest. Unfortunately, so many newspapers are owned by giant media companies with no patience or vision to accommodate this kind of thing. They prefer parroting stuff from the NY Times or a variety of press syndicates rather than having a newspaper adequately staffed with qualified journalists able to deliver feature content you won't find anywhere else.

While the mass media mindset continues we can expect to see many more newspapers fail.

We have one newspaper here in Lawton and I'm frankly surprised it's still in business. I haven't subscribed to it in years because much of the local news it carries is already duplicated a day earlier on the local TV stations and the rest of the paper is filled with syndicated crap I can find for free a day earlier on the Internet.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 05-31-2010, 11:28 PM:

Bobby,

I agree with your points and comments as the cause of many newspapers inability to function the way they have been doing for over a hundred years like our two daily publications, The Honolulu Advertiser and The Honolulu Star Bulletin. Yes, I do get much of my news online but I still enjoy reading the Advertiser in the morning and the Star Bulletin in the evening like I have been doing ever since I started to read newspapers at a very young age. My sister and I still subscribe to both newspapers and there was a time when I also used to enjoy USA TODAY everyday when a locally published edition on the Advertiser presses was available for seventy five cents. It now cost a dollar and a half and one day old because it has to be flown in.

When the Honolulu Star Advertiser debuts next week, it will be a fantastic newspaper because it will have the best editorial staff from both the Advertiser and the Star Bulletin with the best syndicated articles from both papers but I will still miss the Advertiser and the Star Bulletin.

-Claude

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 05-31-2010, 11:44 PM:

One thing that I thought traditional newspapers should concentrate on is following up on a story and getting detailed information that is usually glossed over with on-line media.

Sure, we can see news on any topic, 24 hours per day on CNN, FOX or whatever source you like. We can Google the subject of our choice and find out almost anything about almost anything. However, in the interest of getting the scoop, a lot of the finer details are left out.

Okay, there was a huge traffic accident on the interstate. There were five hundred cars piled up in the middle of the highway. News helicopters will be flying overhead, getting video from every angle. On-the-scene reporters will be interviewing everybody and everybody. All this information will be made available in milliseconds via the internet.

But only the local news crews will know that there have been ten major traffic accidents in this same location in the past year. They will be the ones who have best access to the local chief of the state highway department. Only the local crew will be able to find out that this stretch of highway is in a fog-prone area. Only they will be able to quiz the guy and find out if the state has been doing anything to address the problem. And, when the local news crews find out that the highway was knowingly put through a fog prone area because some politician took kick-backs on a land deal with the state, it is THEY who will scoop the story to the national media!

This is what I think can make the local newspapers shine. On-line media and the national syndicated news with their 24-hour news cycle will not be able to follow this story for more than a day or two, let alone for the weeks it might take to research such a story.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-01-2010, 10:55 AM:

Newspapers should be able to excel in getting the TRUE FACTS, since in the online and on-air world, the mad rush to be "first" often results in being "wrong."

I would like to think that after a day to digest all the sources, the paper should have the definitive story that I can truly believe.

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 06-01-2010, 12:14 PM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
Newspapers should be able to excel in getting the TRUE FACTS

You would think!! During my divorce, I had 2 articles written, both against me. The paper said I was getting favoritism because my dad is a judge. I had originally been ordered to pay about $400 a week to my ex. the judge made a ruling that I only pay $150 and the rest go to arrears (that I will pay her forever). The paper wanted to know why I wasn't in jail. They never once contacted me to get my side of the story. I had already sold all of my assets and my paychecks were automatically deposited in my ex's account.

It was a totally one-sided story because my ex father in law used to be very high up at the local paper.

The really bad part was all of the comments on the web page. Almost everyone who commented now sees me as a "deadbeat dad" because they didn't see the whole story.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 06-01-2010, 01:50 PM:

Richard,

If you truly felt you were not treated properly by your local newspaper when they did not interview you and get your side of the story regarding your divorce, you were within your rights to seek litigation against them for deformation of character. I would have.

-Claude

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 06-01-2010, 02:18 PM:

Claude,
As pissed off as I was about the stories, I was advised by my dad and attorney not to. This divorce ended up costing about $100,000 in fees and costs when I only was behind about $12,000 in back support. It was more of a vindictave divorce on my ex's part than my worrying about the kids. That $100,000 could've bought them a nice home in Florida. [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 06-07-2010, 10:07 PM:

The Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star Bulletin published their final editions yesterday and what a sad day it was to read both papers for the last time. They were replaced this morning with the very first edition of The Honolulu Star Advertiser. The old Advertiser was a full size paper but the Bulletin was a tabloid. The new Star Advertiser is a full size paper but the layout looks like the Star Bulletin and there is nothing in it that reminds me of the old Advertiser. In theory, the Star Bulletin is the surviving paper after their owner bought out the Advertiser. Most of the Bulletin's staff has been kept but the new paper had hired many of the Advertiser's writers, photographers and featuring many of the syndicated columns from that paper. The Honolulu Star Advertiser is published at the Advertiser's ultra modern printing facility which went into service about five years ago. The Honolulu Advertiser was a Gannett newspaper and at one time a few years ago printed a Hawaii edition of USA TODAY which is also owned by the same company

The Honolulu Star Advertiser has the potential of becoming a much better newspaper than both the Advertiser and the Bulletin because they have the best of both newspaper's staff working together as a single team

-Claude