They should call it the "Maricopa Republic"

I've got to give Arizona Republic Publisher John Zidich credit for honesty, but he loses points in the diplomacy department.  This morning's Wall Street Journal featured a story about the latest sharp decline in newspaper circulation and this is what Zidich had to say.

"Some circulation just isn't as valuable as others," said Arizona Republic publisher John Zidich, who attributed half of his Gannett Co. paper's 5.5% weekday circulation decline to the publisher's decision to stop delivering to customers more than about 200 miles away.

Wow, I probably wouldn't have, you know, phrased it that way. 

Comments

[Richard]

Just another typical Republic management idiot who cut off the paper here in Lake Havasu City a year ago. But it's good to see that more and more people living in Phoenix have voted with their pocketbooks as to the value of their local rag.

[Marizco]

There in Richard's response lies the schizophrenia of many newspaper readers. On one hand, he thinks the Republic's move to cut out Lake Havasu City is idiocy. On the other hand, he seems happy the paper's losing money.
Gotta love it!

[Patrick]

I've also noticed a change to the Republic's editorial page policy that I also think is tied to circulation. Time and again the Republic publishes incendiary inane letters to the editor on both the right and the left that are filled with inaccuracies and wild, unsubstantiated claims. They do this not to add to the discourse of the community -- which is what an editorial page should do -- but to get people riled up enough to go to azcentral and blog about it. I find that to be a real problem. It certainly doesn't lend itself to rational discussion which should be part of the goal of the editorial pages of the "paper of record" in this state.