Northern Rail - cleaning stepped up?

[PR1Berske]

The i has more to read in it and the quality of the articles are better so people are less likely to be finished with it at the end of their journey so possibility take it with them to finish off reading it at lunchtime.

That's a fair point. Interesting that the example proves that people are more likely to take the newspaper with them if they've paid, even if it's just 20p.

I remember seeing at Wigan or Preston, in either direction, half/most/all of the mammoth Sunday editions of the broadsheets, so maybe the rule is "20p take with, over 2 quid leave behind"

 

[jon0844]

Advertisers pay a lot more for a paper with a cover charge than free, simply as people are going to generally keep a paper they paid for.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Advertisers pay a lot more for a paper with a cover charge than free, simply as people are going to generally keep a paper they paid for.

An other interesting part of the local newspaper market in this area is there can be an issue with a cover price that can be obtained in retail outlets, but a lesser newsworthy free issue of the same area paper (usually with a slightly different name) but with the same number of advertisements that is delivered to the home by local agents

 

[AndyLandy]

That's a fair point. Interesting that the example proves that people are more likely to take the newspaper with them if they've paid, even if it's just 20p.

I remember seeing at Wigan or Preston, in either direction, half/most/all of the mammoth Sunday editions of the broadsheets, so maybe the rule is "20p take with, over 2 quid leave behind"

I suspect the problem is more likely to come from free papers. If someone's left a Metro on the train, I'm probably not interested, but if it's a Guardian/Telegraph/Times/whatever, I'd be far more inclined to pick it up and have a read.

 

[jon0844]

An other interesting part of the local newspaper market in this area is there can be an issue with a cover price that can be obtained in retail outlets, but a lesser newsworthy free issue of the same area paper (usually with a slightly different name) but with the same number of advertisements that is delivered to the home by local agents

I've always assumed the local papers can split their distribution between paid-for copies and the free ones delivered to people (although we no longer get any free paper delivered, and haven't for some years).

The Welwyn Hatfield Times is sold for 60p or whatever, but is available to pick up for free at the Galleria shopping centre, and possibly some other locations.

I guess that with dwindling sales, the publisher has taken the decision to give away copies free to keep the circulation up or else risk losing even more advertisers.

Ads are no doubt shared between other titles in the group, such as different regional editions of what's essentially the same paper (so many, but obviously not all, stories are shared).

I do wonder how long local papers will last. All have online editions, but the WH Times has an archaic content management system, which means articles look horrible - and the commenting system is terrible too. A shame as a good commenting system is clearly what drives traffic these days, so these sites are missing a trick to boost page views and uniques (as people come on to comment from shared stories - just like the Daily Mail makes a fortune from).

 

[PR1Berske]

I suspect the problem is more likely to come from free papers. If someone's left a Metro on the train, I'm probably not interested, but if it's a Guardian/Telegraph/Times/whatever, I'd be far more inclined to pick it up and have a read.

As am I. It's rare for a broadsheet to be left but sometimes one of the glossy mags is on a seat so I'll have a peruse.

 

[Clip]

Advertisers pay a lot more for a paper with a cover charge than free, simply as people are going to generally keep a paper they paid for.

I'm not sure that's true. The evening standard has a circulation of 1.d million copies and lots are left on tubes and trains and you can always see people rush to pick them up before others, so I'd say double that number if not more are reading them and its free.

So say 3 million read it every night, that's more than say, the guardian, can sell in a week.

So which would advertisers look on more favourably?


Also Paul, yes , northern probably do have a cleaning regieme that they want to keep to but hiring extra staff over and above the ones they have does not mean they will get to those standards, they are hiring labour very cheaply to do a single depressing job. No contract about any standard, just the labour. I could talk about cleaning contracts but not in this instance as they appear to be hiring labour only. People should be happy that they have done so and are making the trains a bit cleaner than they were, not moaning about contracts which were never in place in the first instance

 

[tra1nsp0tter]

Newspapers left on seats just end up on the floor though. You get on the train, find a seat (if you're lucky! ) only to find a newspaper has been left on it. The first thing you do is put it on the floor beneath the seat (I have to admit I do it myself - although I promise I'll change my ways!) If instead you picked it up to place in the bin you'd get back to the seat to find someone else has pinched it in the meantime!

Or another Newspaper....

 

[Carlisle]

Interestingly there was quite a bit on the radio yesterday morning about the London underground cleaners being in dispute with their employer over fingerprint booking on machines ,thouugh personally I think the.RMT would be better off fighting for higher wages ,proper sick pay and proper travel concessions

 

[jon0844]

I'm not sure that's true. The evening standard has a circulation of 1.d million copies and lots are left on tubes and trains and you can always see people rush to pick them up before others, so I'd say double that number if not more are reading them and its free.

So say 3 million read it every night, that's more than say, the guardian, can sell in a week.

So which would advertisers look on more favourably?

A fair point and perhaps the ES is a bit different and contradicts the general rule.

It used to be charged for and people presumably see it as a more normal paper, even though it has changed a fair bit under its new ownership.

It went free during the battle of the free papers and now they're gone, you could argue that they could reintroduce a fee. Plenty of people used to be happy to pay, and it's a shame that it has now added to the belief in this country that you shouldn't have to/need to pay for news - with the inevitable drop in quality over time.

I bet ad rates are a lot lower than they were, although without rate cards from now and before (and knowledge of what they actually get or would be happy to get) I can't produce any evidence to support my claim.