Posts Tagged ‘Post and Courier’

Today’s New York Times reports of the continued slide in newspaper advertising revenues which are down 12% for the year and more than that for May. The most concerning aspect of this report is the fact that those who are charged with understanding the direction of the slide admit to under-rating the velocity of change downward.

“Never in my most bearish dreams six months ago did I think we’d be talking about negative 15 percent numbers against weak comps,” said Peter S. Appert, an analyst at Goldman Sachs. “I think the probability is very high that there will be a number of examples of individual newspapers and newspaper companies that fall into a loss position. And I think it’s inevitable that there will be closures in this industry, and maybe bankruptcies.”

Furthermore,

Declining sales of printed papers and rising newsprint prices have also hurt the business.

Our own Charleston Post and Courier just switched to a smaller width newsprint.

Online ad revenues are reported to have climbed in prior years but to be falling off in the current year, however, they are still advancing against print placement revenue.

The voices of the blogger, the Twitterer and online readers are heard electronically. I wonder if there is a drop off in the volume of letters to the editor since now, we don’t need a print forum?

Do you think newspapers will be successful in selling subscriptions for online versions? The Post and Courier is trying to do that. I wonder how many people will sign up for that? Advertisers get to display their ads as part of the online system for the Post and Courier, but one has to know that the ads are in the shopping section. You would think that the ads might be labeled as “To see ads from today’s paper, click here.” Now, you have to just know that you click shopping to find the ads.

With regard to selling online subscriptions of newspapers, remember what mothers of the 1950s said? “If you give away the milk, who wants to buy the cow?” I wonder, is it the same here?

Tell me, do you read the local newspaper where you live? Follow this link to an on-line survey. Click Here to take survey

Balance. MiShwna Moore seems to have little of it in her life. Why? Because Charleston County School District (CCSD) officials have crowned the superior Principal Moore the heroine who will save an additional struggling school for them (With only a stipend and not double the salary which IMHO she should receive.). And she accepted the crown. So have many of us in our lives. There are lessons here.

As reported in a 2003 Post and Courier article, Principal Moore is a professional who works hard at her job, creates success and is recognized for that success. Her almost miraculous turn-around of Sanders-Clyde Elementary School prompted the CCSD to do what many in other businesses frequently do; give a high achiever more to do for less money. The business maxim seems to be that if you have one successful person, give them more to be successful at. Never mind sustaining success and making sure that one doesn’t kill the goose that laid the “golden egg of success.”

CCSD asked Principal Moore to take on the turn-around of another failing school, Fraser Elementary. In the Post and Courier on Saturday, May 10th, Principal Moore was lauded in a High Profile article. Now, don’t get me wrong, we should laud her to the high heavens, but we should also encourage her to preserve herself. Principal Moore reported in the recent article, that she rarely sleeps more than four hours a night.

Enough sleep we’ve been recently told is one of the most underrated preservers of good health. We know that adequate sleep allows the body to heal itself. It supports a vital immune system that resists disease. It helps prevent diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. We also know that good sleep can be undermined by stress which Principal Moore admits dogs her thoughts. Principal Moore said in the May 10th article that she cries with worry about making sure both schools achieve. Stress? this woman’s stress level is off the chart!

Stress can sometimes be counteracted by loving relationships, however, Reporter Diette Correge writes in her May 10th article of Principal Moore, “She talks about being single and not having kids or a significant other, and she says she gave her beloved Shih Tzu dog to her mother last year because she didn’t have enough time to take care of her.”

Today the Post and Courier contains an editorial that says that we should “Learn from Principal Moore”. Well, yes we should. About perseverance, about using all our abilities to do a job. About doing our very best. But we should also learn our limits. The unspoken message in this editorial, and the story from May 10th is that we should take on more than we can do to the detriment of our health and without the correct compensation. I am not damning Principal Moore. She is working to achieve success the best way that she knows how in our culture that touts workaholism as the goal for all high achieving professionals. She’s doing what we define for professionals as success. She’s working harder.

Hard work is essential to success, but so is being alive. We must get over our Puritanical notions that hard work is the only path to success. We must learn to seek balance. Rest, exercise, laughter, partnership– in the company of hard work. We must realize that stress is the number one cause of disease. So, I say to Principal Moore, delegate, train others to do what you are doing, work hard yes, but balance, protect your health, think of your future. If you want to be around to see the success that I am sure you will achieve at Fraser Elementary, seek balance.