Weekly newspaper

Last updated

A weekly newspaper is a general-news or current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly newspaper is published once every two weeks. Weekly newspapers tend to have smaller circulations than daily newspapers, and often cover smaller territories, such as one or more smaller towns, a rural county, or a few neighborhoods in a large city. Frequently, weeklies cover local news and engage in community journalism.

Contents

Most weekly newspapers follow a similar format as daily newspapers (i.e., news, sports, obituaries, etc.). However, the primary focus is on news within a coverage area. The publication dates of weekly newspapers in North America vary, but often they come out in the middle of the week (Wednesday or Thursday). However, in the United Kingdom where they come out on Sundays, the weeklies which are called Sunday newspapers, are often national in scope and have substantial circulations (20 to 50% higher on average than their daily sister publications).

Other types of news publications come out weekly on newsprint but are not considered general newspapers. These cover specific topics, such as sports (e.g., The Sporting News ) or business (e.g., Barron's ), and have larger circulations and cover much larger geographic-coverage areas. Alternatively, other news publications come out weekly on magazine-style print but are still considered general newspapers (e.g. The Economist ).

History

The first weekly newspapers were Relation and weekly newspaper Aviso, which were published at beginning of 17th century. The Relation started around 1605 in Straßburg by Johann Carolus and the Aviso started in January 1609 in Wolfenbüttel. [1]

Content

Many weekly newspapers in North America follow a similar format:

News

News coverage usually focuses on local events such as car accidents or house fires, plus local government meetings, such as city councils or school boards, and police blotters.

Sports

A weekly newspaper often covers sports teams from one or more area schools (mostly high schools), communities, or professional teams if any exist. Often, a sports reporter takes great ownership in a specific team and writes stories containing detailed accounts of games. Several photographs of the games may accompany the story.[ citation needed ] Other stories preview games, usually between traditional rivals, to build interest.

Family news and obituaries

Family news pages include announcements of births, engagements, weddings, landmark birthdays and anniversaries, and obituaries.

In the past, correspondents often submitted stories along the lines of "Mr. and Mrs. John Jones had company from out-of-town last week",[ citation needed ] although these types of stories  commonly called "Neighborhood News" or some similar name  are largely a thing of the past.

Features and reviews

Larger weeklies, especially those that are part of chains, also offer lifestyle features, reviews of local theater and arts, restaurant reviews and a food section that may concentrate on local recipes.

Editorial pages

Like daily newspapers, weekly newspapers often have an editorial page. Editorial pages also include letters to the editor, written by readers on a specific topic.

Public record

The public-record section usually includes summaries of police-incident reports, fire-department calls and court dispositions (or, the outcome of a criminal proceeding). Many newspapers also publish a list of building permits that have been issued in its circulation area.

Public notices

Public notices typically fall into one of two categories:

Laws in many US states dictate that a municipality or other government body must designate a newspaper of record. The official newspaper is decided based on geographical area, and often more than one newspapers are given this designation. Official newspapers receive the government's public notices, and since they are considered advertising, it can be a source of revenue for newspapers.

Advertising

Weekly newspapers often have one or more advertising sales representatives whose job it is to sell display advertisements. Most advertisements are from local businesses (although some larger companies from outside the coverage area may advertise).

Other advertisements are called classifieds, which are placed by people who want to buy or sell something (such as a car or real estate), employers who have job openings, or property owners who have rental property available.

Along with paid subscriptions, a weekly newspaper receives most of its revenue from display advertising and classified advertising.

Layout

Most weekly newspapers are laid out one or more days before the publication date. Sometimes, the layout of pages is staggered, to allow for multiple deadlines.

Like larger newspapers, most weekly newspapers these days are paginated (or laid out) using computer software, using programs such as Adobe PageMaker, Adobe InDesign or Quark Xpress. Layout is the appearance of the page and includes photographs (along with cutlines, or captions identifying the photograph's content and people), copy (the text and its typefont), headlines and white space.

At many newspapers, photographers, reporters and editors use digital cameras to take photographs and download selected photographs using a card reader. The photographs are cropped and edited using a program such as Adobe Photoshop.

After the copy and advertisements have been placed on the page, the editor will print out a proof and make any changes, if necessary. Sometimes, he or she will consult with reporters on such things as double-checking facts, proofreading headlines and other copy, or writing cut-lines for photographs. Once everyone is satisfied, a final proof is printed out and prepared for publication. The pages can be placed on dummy sheets, burned to a CD-ROM or Zip disk, or sent to the printing press (either located at the newspaper office or an off-site publication plant) by e-mail or FTP site.

Staff

Often, the staff of a weekly newspaper is smaller, with employees having several duties. For instance, a news editor may also sell advertising, while reporters could also be photographers.

The size of the news staff varies, depending on the size of the newspaper and its circulation area. Some papers have a staff of several reporters, with each reporter having a specific beat (much like a daily newspaper, with beats including schools, local government, business, police, etc.). Many smaller newspapers, however, may have as few as one reporter to cover the entire circulation area, meaning they are responsible for the entire content of the newspaper (e.g., government, business, schools, crime, features, etc.).

The experience of weekly newspaper reporters varies. Some may have years of experience (either they are satisfied where they are employed, and/or may be well-established in the community). Others may be recent college graduates early in their career, and are trying to gain experience and/or clips.[ citation needed ]

Many newspapers have at least one news clerk or editorial assistant who is responsible for typing family news and obituaries, as well as news releases announcing upcoming events. A circulation manager keeps track of subscribers (this can range from only a couple hundred to tens of thousands of subscribers), and may also be in charge of classified advertising.

As well as full-time staff reporters and photographers, many weekly newspapers also employ correspondents (sometimes called stringers), often paid on a per-story rate.

Family-owned and chains

Many weekly newspapers started as family-owned businesses, covering one or two communities and handling all editorial and business functions. The Tribune Newspaper [2] in Humble, Texas is one example. Typically all business functions, along with the editor-in-chief would be family members, while non family members would assume reporting positions. Another example is the Campbell County Observer [3] published in N.E. Wyoming. The owner is the publisher who also performs advertising sales, writing, distribution, books, and other duties that may be required. His wife, Candice, is an advertising saleswoman, his nine-year-old and four-year-old children are the insert stuffers, and they all are door-to-door subscription salespeople.

As newspapers became more expensive to operate and family members declined to join the business, many weekly newspapers were purchased by larger chains of weeklies. Some family-owned newspapers are operated as chains, with the family business operating weekly newspapers in multiple towns.

The chain newspapers can be either regional or national chains. Sometimes all advertising functions are combined, with a weekly newspaper containing both ads for local businesses and for businesses in the chains area. This larger circulation can assist in bringing in national advertising to weeklies. Weeklies in chains may also have a publisher overseeing several newspapers, with a specific editor for each newspaper. Generally speaking, the staff of corporate-owned chain weeklies do not have deep connections into the communities and do not prioritize accountability for local governments. [4] The switch from locally owned weekly newspapers to corporate chains, which is often driven by the loss of advertising revenue, is associated with increases in taxes, reduced involvement by citizens in local government, fewer citizens voting in elections, more wasteful spending, and even higher levels of corruption. [4]

Change of the day on them

At Christmas Day, depending on the day of the week that Christmas Day is on, weekly newspapers would change the day in many countries. For example, Sunday newspapers are moved to Christmas Eve or Saturday when Christmas Day is on Sunday, and other weekly newspapers are expected to change their day at Christmas to save outlets and businesses from opening on Christmas Day by law.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tabloid (newspaper format)</span> Type of newspaper

A tabloid is a newspaper with a compact page size smaller than broadsheet. There is no standard size for this newspaper format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of British newspapers</span> Dates to the 17th century

The history of British newspapers begins in the 17th century with the emergence of regular publications covering news and gossip. The relaxation of government censorship in the late 17th century led to a rise in publications, which in turn led to an increase in regulation throughout the 18th century. The Times began publication in 1785 and became the leading newspaper of the early 19th century, before the lifting of taxes on newspapers and technological innovations led to a boom in newspaper publishing in the late 19th century. Mass education and increasing affluence led to new papers such as the Daily Mail emerging at the end of the 19th century, aimed at lower middle-class readers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">News media</span> Elements of mass media that focus on delivering news

The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public. These include news agencies, newspapers, news magazines, news channels etc.

<i>The Tennessean</i> Daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee

The Tennessean is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, which also owns several smaller community newspapers in Middle Tennessee, including The Dickson Herald, the Gallatin News-Examiner, the Hendersonville Star-News, the Fairview Observer, and the Ashland City Times. Its circulation area overlaps those of the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle and The Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, two other independent Gannett papers. The company publishes several specialty publications, including Nashville Lifestyles magazine.

<i>The Mercury News</i> Daily newspaper published in California

The Mercury News is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidiary of Media News Group which in turn is controlled by Alden Global Capital, a vulture fund. As of March 2013, it was the fifth largest daily newspaper in the United States, with a daily circulation of 611,194. As of 2018, the paper has a circulation of 324,500 daily and 415,200 on Sundays. As of 2021, this further declined. The Bay Area News Group no longer reports its circulation, but rather "readership". For 2021, they reported a "readership" of 312,700 adults daily.

<i>Salt Lake City Weekly</i> Newspaper in Utah, United States

Salt Lake City Weekly is a free alternative weekly tabloid-paged newspaper published in Salt Lake City, Utah. It began as Private Eye. City Weekly is published and dated for every Thursday by Copperfield Publishing Inc. of which John Saltas is majority owner and president.

An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture. Its news coverage is more locally focused, and their target audiences are younger than those of daily newspapers. Typically, alternative newspapers are published in tabloid format and printed on newsprint. Other names for such publications include alternative weekly, alternative newsweekly, and alt weekly, as the majority circulate on a weekly schedule.

Kuensel is the national newspaper of the Kingdom of Bhutan. It was the only local newspaper available in Bhutan until 2006 when two more newspapers were launched. The government of Bhutan owns 51% of Kuensel while 49% is held by the public.

<i>Calgary Herald</i> Daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The Calgary Herald is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser. It is owned by the Postmedia Network.

Village Voice Media or VVM is a newspaper company. It began in 1970 as a weekly alternative newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona. The company, founded by Michael Lacey (editor) and Jim Larkin (publisher), was then known as New Times Inc. (NTI) and the publication was named New Times. The company was later renamed New Times Media.

OU Daily, formally known as The Oklahoma Daily, is the independent, student-produced newspaper at the University of Oklahoma, with a circulation of 6,000. Though it maintains a connection with OU's Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, the newspaper is not a part of required learning for journalism students at OU. Some classes, however, are offered at The Daily for academic credit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Printed media in the Soviet Union</span>

Printed media in the Soviet Union, i.e., newspapers, magazines and journals, were under strict control of the CPSU and the Soviet state. The desire to disseminate propaganda was believed to had been the driving force behind the creation of the early Soviet newspapers. Newspapers were the essential means of communicating with the public, which meant that they were the most powerful way available to spread propaganda and capture the hearts of the population. Additionally, within the Soviet Union the press evolved into the messenger for the orders from the CPSU Central Committee to the party officials and activists. Due to this important role, the Soviet papers were both prestigious in the society and an effective means to control the masses; however, manipulation initially was not the only purpose of the Soviet Press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of American newspapers</span> Aspect of history

The history of American newspapers begins in the early 18th century with the publication of the first colonial newspapers. American newspapers began as modest affairs—a sideline for printers. They became a political force in the campaign for American independence. Following independence the first amendment to U.S. Constitution guaranteed freedom of the press. The Postal Service Act of 1792 provided substantial subsidies: Newspapers were delivered up to 100 miles for a penny and beyond for 1.5 cents, when first class postage ranged from six cents to a quarter.

The St. Louis Globe-Democrat was a daily print newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1852 until 1986. The paper began operations on July 1, 1852, as The Daily Missouri Democrat, changing its name to The Missouri Democrat in 1868, then to The St. Louis Democrat in 1873. It merged with the St. Louis Globe to form the St. Louis Globe-Democrat in 1875.

Newspapers have been published in the United States since the 18th century and are an integral part of the culture of the United States. Although a few newspapers including The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal are sold throughout the United States, most U.S. newspapers are published for city or regional markets. The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post are often referred to as the United States' "newspaper of record".

The Kenosha News is a daily newspaper published in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States. The morning paper serves southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois. It was the original and flagship property of United Communications Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decline of newspapers</span> Decline of newspaper sales

The decline of newspapers is an example and means of which to understand and observe the changing values of a culture. Whether newspapers are declining in popularity is region dependent. Data supports that in the U.S and Europe popularity and sales are wavering. In these regions, industry is facing slumping ad sales, the loss of much classified advertising, and precipitous drops in circulation. The U.S. saw the loss of an average of two newspapers per week between late 2019 and May 2022, leaving an estimated 70 million people in places that are already news deserts and areas that are in high risk of becoming so. Prior to that steep decline, newspapers' weekday circulation had fallen 7% and Sunday circulation 4% in the United States, their greatest declines since 2010. If the trend continues, a third of newspapers will be lost by 2025, according to a 2022 study published by Northwestern University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newspaper</span> Scheduled publication containing news of events, articles, features, editorials, and advertisements

A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports, art, and science. They often include materials such as opinion columns, weather forecasts, reviews of local services, obituaries, birth notices, crosswords, editorial cartoons, comic strips, and advice columns.

<i>Illustrated Daily News</i> 20th-century Los Angeles newspaper

The Daily News was a newspaper published in Los Angeles from 1923 to 1954. It was founded in 1923 by Cornelius Vanderbilt IV and bought by Manchester Boddy who operated it through most of its existence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Canadian newspapers</span> Aspect of history

There were five important periods in the history of Canadian newspapers' responsible for the eventual development of the modern newspaper. These are the "Transplant Period" from 1750 to 1800, when printing and newspapers initially came to Canada as publications of government news and proclamations; followed by the "Partisan Period from 1800–1850," when individual printers and editors played a growing role in politics. The "Nation Building Period from 1850–1900," when Canadian editors began the work of establishing a common nationalistic view of Canadian society. The "Modern period" from 1900 to 1980s saw the professionalization of the industry and the growth of chains. "Current history" since the 1990s saw outside interests take over the chains, as they faced new competition from the Internet.

References

  1. Margot Lindemann: Deutschen Presse bis 1815. Geschichte der deutschen Presse Teil 1. [Abhandlungen und Materialien zur Publizistik Band 5], Colloquium, Berlin 1969, S. 86
  2. "Home". www.ourtribune.com. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  3. "Home". CampbellCountyObserver.net.
  4. 1 2 Kaye, Danielle (August 19, 2023). "Small Kansas paper raided by police has a history of hard-hitting reporting". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on 2023-08-20. Retrieved 2023-08-20.