Weekday circulation of more than 700 newspapers nationwide
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(including such venerable names as UDA loday, Wall Street Journal,
I. What do vou think accounts for the trend of declining sales
Los Angeles limes, Washington Post, and Houston Chronicle) has
showed almost a 20 percent drop during the past 10 years or so
Circulation
figures are important because
they are used to set advertis.
among newspapers? Could newspapers have planned for this?
Explain your answer.
2. If you were responsible for corporate planning at one
or The
ing
Tales, a major revenue generator, apart Trom the actual
Income
derived from sales of newspapers. For instance. Help-wanted and rea.
major newspapers, What Drocess Would you put In place to
forecast what is likely to happen in the future? What types of
estate advertising fell by more than 3) percent. while automobile clas-
plans would Vou put in place to ensure the newspaper remains
sifieds dropped by 22 percent. Some newSpapers thought thev had an
prottable? How would vou handle the unpredictable? Explai
answer to this problem atter developing and Implementing
what
appeared to be an innovative business plan called "sponsored sales
What should firms do when thev realize that their customer hase
These are newspapers sold in bulk to hotels, airlines, and other outlets
By getting a captive audience (for instance, airline passengers or hotel
guests) and a guaranteed front-end contract from a buyer (such as a
large hotel chain), circulation numbers increased significantly at much
lower cost (in comparison. for example, to individual home delivery)
as subscribers and advertisers in the case of newspapers,
seem to be
