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Feb. 4, 2009 |
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Final Edition Press Release (2/4/09) This marks the final edition of the Arizona Rattler. Mesquite Media Group, LLC, the parent company of the Rattler, has made the difficult decision to suspend printing of the weekly newspaper. “It’s simply a matter of money,” said Editor and co-owner Morris Workman, who with partner Cindi Delaney, started the first-ever newspaper dedicated to the Arizona Strip. “Since the start of the project back in November, we have taken in $1,217 in revenue. In that same period, we’ve had expenses of more than $3,600. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out.” The lack of revenues was the result of several factors, including a collapsing national economy. Advertising is down across the country as companies scale back on their ad expenditures. Even the Super Bowl, the most-watched television event every year, had trouble selling all of their commercial allotments this year, in spite of the fact that it was the most-watched Super Bowl ever. Without enough businesses currently
located on the Arizona Strip, and the reluctance of businesses in The other part of the equation was newspaper sales. While most communities pay up to 75 cents per copy for their local newspapers, residents of the Arizona Strip were reluctant to pay a quarter for the small eight-page newspaper, particularly since residents in and near Mesquite have enjoyed the longtime tradition of free weekly newspapers over the last decade. “People repeatedly asked why they
should pay a quarter for the Rattler when the “The answer is because the In addition to distribution that never sold more than 600 newspapers, the paper was plagued by “shrinkage,” the theft of newspapers from racks. “Some people didn’t realize it cost a quarter, others didn’t care,” Workman said, explaining that between 100 and 150 papers were taken from racks each week without being paid for. He went on to say that theft could have been reduced by using coin-operated vending machines, but the numbers just didn’t add up. “Those machines are about $500 a pop. You buy six or seven of them, you’re talking over $3,000. At the rate we were selling papers, it just didn’t make economic sense.” In fact, according to Workman, it was costing more to pick up and deliver the paper to racks and stores than was generated in newspaper sales. “It costs us $70 a week to pay
someone to pick up the paper from the printer in While the newspaper will no longer be printed and distributed, the door isn’t completely shut on the project. “We still believe in the Arizona Strip,” said Cindi Delaney, co-owner of the Rattler. “We believe they deserve their own newspaper, their own voice.” Workman echoed that sentiment. “If the economy was different, we would continue to eat those losses until the market caught up. Unfortunately, with businesses boarding up and others slowing down, we can’t continue to take money from our core business, Mesquite Local News, and use it to subsidize the Arizona project,” Workman said, adding that another newspaper will probably come to the Strip, but not until after the economy turns. “It’s typical of our company, to be ahead of the curve,” Workman said with a grin, citing the company’s former RadioMesquite internet radio station which closed recently in spite of the fact that internet radio is alive and well in other parts of the country. The company has not yet decided the fate of the online version of the Arizona Rattler. While the expenses are considerably less for www.thearizonarattler.com, the cost of paying writers and website overhead expenses are still a consideration. Currently, the news site which has been in existence for three months has zero paid advertisers other than a handful of classified ads. “It’s the same scenario,” Workman said. “The readership isn’t there, and we don’t have the revenue necessary to even begin to cover expenses. The difference is that the online expenses are a lot less. It only takes about a hundred dollars a week to keep the news site going, while it’s $500 to $600 a week for the printed newspaper.” The company will be issuing refunds to those subscribers who have pre-paid for delivery of the Rattler. Ads pre-paid for the Rattler will be moved to Mesquite Local News. “If there’s a silver lining here, it’s the fact that we didn’t take on any debt for the project, so we’ll come out of it without owning anybody money,” Workman said. The company will continue to produce its award-winning news site, MesquiteLocalNews.com, which recently hit a milestone of its one-millionth hit on Monday, as well as the weekly Mesquite Local News newspaper. |