Asheville News

The Asheville Citizen-Times in 2009: Less is more

Jason Sandford December 31, 2008

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

Around the Asheville Citizen-Times the past few years, the mantra was always “do more with less.” There was a constant concern about the bottom line, and the pressure was always on every employee to work harder with fewer resources.

Now we’re about to put 2008 in the books, and it appears that the new mantra will be “less for more” or something like that. Why? Well, the Citizen-Times earlier this year jacked up the cost of a single copy from 50 cents to 75 cents, a 50-percent price increase, and now plans to introduce a much smaller newspaper at the start of the new year.

Sources are giving me information that I have not confirmed, but believe to be true: that the new newspaper will be an inch or two narrower; that the new newspaper will not have classified ads on Mondays and Tuesdays; and that the new newspaper will reduce the number of pages in daily editions significantly by cutting what is now the Living section.

I don’t have this information confirmed, but I have good sources. And until the newspaper’s editor or publisher decides to come out of their bunker at 14 O.Henry Avenue, then readers like you and me have nothing else to go on but rumor and speculation.

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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4 Comments

On the list January 1, 2009

The Citizen-Times was printed on a 48" web. Greenville prints on a 44" web. So the paper will be smaller. The advertising will either have to be resized or squished to fit the new template. Of course, no price decrease for advertisers.

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scrooge December 31, 2008

Has nothing to do with printing in Greenville. It’s another cost savings measure. Lots of newspapers are reducing their web width.

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Wanna scrap, bring it on December 31, 2008

I hear they are coming out with a wallet size edition printed on tiny presses. I also hear the price will be two dollars since the presses had to be made special on the Island of Laputa.

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Just Wonderin December 31, 2008

Dear Ash: Do you think the pages will get narrower because the Citizen-Times will be printing in Greenville?

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