The Houston Chronicle Newspaper

[sevfiv]

I think this is the thread:

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...showtopic=16756

[gto250us]

The Chron is the worst paper of any major city in America. Every page has over 3/4 of the page devoted to ads and most of the articles have appeared in other news papers during the preceding 3-4 days. Most of the article that are actually written by Chron staff are cheerleading something about Houston. Pure Crap.

[IronTiger]

It was in Sunday's paper and mentioned about 50 buildings (they didn't mention that cool Empire State Building-esque one near Westheimer though).

I thought it was cool. You?

[marmer]

You mean this?

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/ar...ay/5985592.html

It does mention the Transco (now Williams) Tower.

[dbigtex56]

I'm astonished that the Enron Center South (the newer, Cesar Pelli and Associates) building wasn't included on Ms Gray's list, but the original Enron building was.

[editor]

As the Chicago Tribune goes through scandal after scandal in its implosion, it is shedding readers left and right.

The latest numbers show the Trib's circulation is down to 516,000 (first six months of 2008). That means that the Houston Chronicle is poised to take its place as #8. Wikipedia lists the Chron's circulation at 494,131 (2007). It shouldn't be too much longer before the Chronicle pulls ahead.

2007 circulation rankings:

1. USA Today
   
2. Wall Street Journal
   
3. New York Times
   
4. Los Angeles Times
   
5. New York Daily News
   
6. New York Post
   
7. Washington Post
   
8. Chicago Tribune
   
9. Houston Chronicle
   
10. Arizona Republic
    

[Highway6]

Looks like the Chron has lost more readers in the past year than the Tribune.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/ne...t_id=1003878040

2nd highest loss by percentage in the past year among the Top 25

USA TODAY -- 2,293,310 -- 0.01%

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL -- 2,011,999 -- 0.01%

NEW YORK TIMES -- 1,000,665 -- (-3.58%)

LOS ANGELES TIMES -- 739,147 -- (-5.20%)

DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK -- 632,595 -- (-7.16%)

NEW YORK POST -- 625,421 -- (-6.25%)

THE WASHINGTON POST -- 622,714 -- (-1.94%)

CHICAGO TRIBUNE -- 516,032 -- (-7.75%)

HOUSTON CHRONICLE -- 448,271 -- (-11.66%)

NEWSDAY -- 377,517 -- (-2.58%)

Edited October 28, 2008 by Highway6

[barracuda]

Circulation of physical papers doesn't seem to be an accurate measure. How about online readership?

[wernicke]

Newspapers seem to be screwed as a whole... only the large "national" newspapers will survive in their current state: NYTimes, WSJ, USAT, WashPost.

Talks currently of more large lay-offs at the Chronicle.

[editor]

Circulation of physical papers doesn't seem to be an accurate measure. How about online readership?

Physical circulation of newspapers is very accurate because it's possible to measure an exact number of papers.

Measuring online readership is more than a little problematic. No one has come up with a perfect way to do it. Measuring online readership is affected by dozens of variables including:

• People using ad blockers
  
• People using ISPs (like AOL) that proxy multiple IPs into a single session.
  
• People using ISPs that don't report accurate geography.
  
• ISPs that proxy and cache content.
  
• People who click to the next page before the last one has loaded.
  
• People who reject cookies
  
• People who don't have or deactivate Javascript
  
• People using Windows who can be infected by any of hundreds of toolbars and other pieces of spyware that change the incoming page.
  

That's part of the reason that print ads and online ads are sold separately. Also common is to throw in online ads for free as an inducement to get a company to buy print ads.

If there was a single accepted way to measure audiences on the internet, online content would take off because the money would be quantifiable. As it is, it's still all pretty murky.

Looks like the Chron has lost more readers in the past year than the Tribune.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/ne...t_id=1003878040

2nd highest loss by percentage in the past year among the Top 25

That's too bad. I was hoping the Chron would eclipse the Trib.

[RedScare]

That's too bad. I was hoping the Chron would eclipse the Trib.

Until then, you will have to console yourself with the fact that their baseball team still cannot win a World Series...or any series.

[memebag]

If there was a single accepted way to measure audiences on the internet, online content would take off because the money would be quantifiable. As it is, it's still all pretty murky.

Unless that measurement showed widespread use of ad blockers.

[barracuda]

Physical circulation of newspapers is very accurate because it's possible to measure an exact number of papers.

Sure, the physical circulation is easier to calculate, but it's not an accurate measure of overall readership. It's been years since I went out a bought a newspaper, yet I read it online most days. There are certainly many others doing the same. And individual stories and add-click through can be measured on the internet but not in paper form.

[editor]

Unless that measurement showed widespread use of ad blockers.

As stated above.

Sure, the physical circulation is easier to calculate, but it's not an accurate measure of overall readership. It's been years since I went out a bought a newspaper, yet I read it online most days. There are certainly many others doing the same. And individual stories and add-click through can be measured on the internet but not in paper form.

That's why it's called a measure of "circulation" and not "readership."

[memebag]

Sure, the physical circulation is easier to calculate, but it's not an accurate measure of overall readership. It's been years since I went out a bought a newspaper, yet I read it online most days. There are certainly many others doing the same. And individual stories and add-click through can be measured on the internet but not in paper form.

Do you see any of the ads? If so, why?

Technology is giving us the ability to remove advertising from our lives, if we wish to do so.

As stated above.

You said "online content [will] take off", and I thought that meant you thought an accepted measure of online readership would encourage spending on online ads. It might have the opposite effect, and remove funding for online content.

[Mr. Chenevert]

Physical circulation of newspapers is very accurate because it's possible to measure an exact number of papers.

Measuring online readership is more than a little problematic. No one has come up with a perfect way to do it. Measuring online readership is affected by dozens of variables including:

• People using ad blockers
  
• People using ISPs (like AOL) that proxy multiple IPs into a single session.
  
• People using ISPs that don't report accurate geography.
  
• ISPs that proxy and cache content.
  
• People who click to the next page before the last one has loaded.
  
• People who reject cookies
  
• People who don't have or deactivate Javascript
  
• People using Windows who can be infected by any of hundreds of toolbars and other pieces of spyware that change the incoming page.
  

That's part of the reason that print ads and online ads are sold separately. Also common is to throw in online ads for free as an inducement to get a company to buy print ads.

If there was a single accepted way to measure audiences on the internet, online content would take off because the money would be quantifiable. As it is, it's still all pretty murky.

That's too bad. I was hoping the Chron would eclipse the Trib.

Just because its tangible does not make it accurate.

[houstonmacbro]

It always amazes me that people still read the paper. I know that sounds odd, but I mean actually read a physical paper from end to end.

[houstonmacbro]

Another one bites the dust:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/chronicle/6081958.html

[20thStDad]

We don't have the chron delivered, but i get it every other Sunday or so. I like reading the paper, and we typically save way more than $1.75 using coupons we get from it. And the word jumble isn't online. That's the best part.

I hate online ads, they get no clicks or even attention from me. I like getting internet info for free. Something, someday, will have to give.

[memebag]

I hate online ads, they get no clicks or even attention from me. I like getting internet info for free. Something, someday, will have to give.

I have Firefox with Adblock Plus and I never see ads. I just disabled it for a minute to see if chron.com even has ads. It does, but I didn't know that.

If you install Firefox, Adblock Plus is the first recommended plug-in. I can't imagine why everyone doesn't use something like that to strip ads from their lives. I also use a DVR to skip commercials on TV.

[20thStDad]

I have Firefox with Adblock Plus and I never see ads. I just disabled it for a minute to see if chron.com even has ads. It does, but I didn't know that.

If you install Firefox, Adblock Plus is the first recommended plug-in. I can't imagine why everyone doesn't use something like that to strip ads from their lives. I also use a DVR to skip commercials on TV.

I might have to check that out. I am really lazy when it comes to researching helpful things like that.

EDIT: WHOA! What magic is this? Can you teach me any other magic tricks? Can you make traffic get out of my way?

Edited October 29, 2008 by 20thStDad

[memebag]

I might have to check that out. I am really lazy when it comes to researching helpful things like that.

EDIT: WHOA! What magic is this? Can you teach me any other magic tricks? Can you make traffic get out of my way?

Patience, grasshopper. The river will not obey your will. You must shape your will to flow with the river. Now walk the path of NoScript.

[Highway6]

I have Firefox with Adblock Plus and I never see ads. I just disabled it for a minute to see if chron.com even has ads. It does, but I didn't know that.

If you install Firefox, Adblock Plus is the first recommended plug-in. I can't imagine why everyone doesn't use something like that to strip ads from their lives. I also use a DVR to skip commercials on TV.

I'm sure you just worked your way off Editor's Top 10 Favorite People List.

[H-Town Man]

Until then, you will have to console yourself with the fact that their baseball team still cannot win a World Series...or any series.

Whose baseball team was it that beat our baseball team in a World Series a few years ago?

Looks like the Chron has lost more readers in the past year than the Tribune.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/ne...t_id=1003878040

2nd highest loss by percentage in the past year among the Top 25

USA TODAY -- 2,293,310 -- 0.01%

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL -- 2,011,999 -- 0.01%

NEW YORK TIMES -- 1,000,665 -- (-3.58%)

LOS ANGELES TIMES -- 739,147 -- (-5.20%)

DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK -- 632,595 -- (-7.16%)

NEW YORK POST -- 625,421 -- (-6.25%)

THE WASHINGTON POST -- 622,714 -- (-1.94%)

CHICAGO TRIBUNE -- 516,032 -- (-7.75%)

HOUSTON CHRONICLE -- 448,271 -- (-11.66%)

NEWSDAY -- 377,517 -- (-2.58%)

A large drop like this is usually the result of a decision such as to stop distributing to far away small towns or to cut down on free giveaways, etc. Most years our drops have been small while other papers (like the Trib) had larger drops. This is our first year this millennium to be under 500,000. The Trib still beats us by a wide margin in Sunday circulation.

[memebag]

I'm sure you just worked your way off Editor's Top 10 Favorite People List.

I bet he can deal with it. I drive around with a HAIF license plate frame and I wear a HAIF T-shirt once a week.

[Fringe]

I still take the daily paper. Just something I've done for the last 30-40 years and can't give up. I seem to be the minority in my neighborhood now. Used to see papers in front lawns all up and down the street but not so much anymore.

I miss the Houston Post.

[editor]

Just because its tangible does not make it accurate.

Correct, but it's more accurate than something that's intangible. Over the centuries newspapers have found very good and accurate ways to account for missing, misdirected, returned, damaged, etc... newspapers. I believe the broad term for it is "spoilage." Much like insurance actuarial tables, they're very close to reflecting real life. There are people who have spent their entire careers working on this sort of thing.

It always amazes me that people still read the paper. I know that sounds odd, but I mean actually read a physical paper from end to end.

I do on occasion -- maybe one every week or two. Usually when I'm waiting for someone. Even if I think I've read the paper by looking online in the morning I always see something new in the printed form.

More importantly -- the comics are much easier to read in a newspaper than online. There's no lag between strips.

Another one bites the dust:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/chronicle/6081958.html

That's a shame. The CSM was one of the best papers out there, if you had the time to plow through it. There were a lot of people who couldn't get past the title (ignoring the history) and never got a chance to sample some of the nation's finest journalism.

[editor]

I hate online ads, they get no clicks or even attention from me. I like getting internet info for free. Something, someday, will have to give.

I used to feel that way, but I don't anymore. Back when I was in college I thought I was all cool and "sticking it to the man" if I blocked ads. But over time I've come to accept them. I think it's become easier because over time the ads have become more relevant to my interests. If an ad company knows nothing about my cookie file, it'll spit out "Free Smilies" banners till the cows come home. But over time the ad companies tailor the results so they're more meaningful. So instead of getting "Punch the Monkey" ads I get American Airlines, Visit Singapore, and ads for architecture and real estate firms.

I'd say I click through an ad on a web site once or twice a month. Once I bought super discount airline tickets for a trip I had coming up. I saved about $400 on the price I was quoted online just the day before.

[rsb320]

The Chronicle site automatically logs me in, same as HAIF. Surely my readership is being logged somewhere through this method.

[editor]

The Chronicle site automatically logs me in, same as HAIF. Surely my readership is being logged somewhere through this method.

Should be.