OC Weekly Gets New Publisher; Buy.com Gets New Branding Campaign
The Times Orange County has lost more ground in its OC circulation war with the larger Orange County Register, according to the most recent six-month report released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
For the six months ended Sept. 30, the average paid daily OC circulation at the Times fell 4.7%, to 187,636, and the newspaper’s Sunday edition mirrored that fall, slipping 4.4% in OC, to an average of 253,378.
Meanwhile, as earlier announced, the Register’s paid daily circulation grew 1%, to an average of 333,031, and Sundays were up 1.8%, to 388,117.
“We are transitioning our sales effort from what was a high-turnover telemarketing operation to something that gives us longer-term retention, and we knew in the process there would be some losses,” said Los Angeles Times spokesman Mike Lang. “A short-term loss for long-term gain.”
A few months ago, Lang added, the Times began distributing its newspaper with an independently owned Vietnamese language newspaper, Nguoi Viet.
“The big thing is having an approach that concentrates on retention and finding people who are going to stay with us, instead of the constant churn and that’s what you get with telesales,” Lang said.
Overall, the Times daily circulation grew 1%, to 1.078 million, and its Sunday circulation was up 0.1%, to 1.362 million.
The Times OC, it should be noted, has talked for several years about various plans to boost circulation. But the latest figures continue a long trend of incremental circulation gains by the Register vs. the Times OC.
Indeed, Register president Ron Redfern suggested it was the Times OC’s decision to stop telemarketing that contributed to their circulation losses.
“I think it just continues to demonstrate the connection we (the Register) have in the county and the continuity we have with the product. They (the Times) have had a number of strategy changes. I think it’s just difficult for the market to follow it. You just don’t stop the telemarketing process and hold your numbers. But apparently they’re deciding to go cold turkey.”
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The OC Weekly, which recently was sold by Stern Publishing to Village Voice Media group, has named a new publisher. Judy Jablonski, who is based in Los Angeles, will be publisher of both the OC Weekly and its sister paper, the LA Weekly. For the past five years, Jablonski has been associate publisher of the two newspapers. She began working at the LA Weekly in 1983 as a sales assistant. She will report to Michael Sigman, president and CEO of the two alternative weeklies. OC Weekly editor Will Swaim will continue to report to Sigman, as will LA Weekly editor Sue Horton.
No more blue doughnuts for Aliso Viejo-based Buy.com. The Internet retailer recently launched a branding campaign that simply states the company name in white on a black background. The campaign includes TV, newspaper, print, outdoor and online banner spots.
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NBC’s Dateline featured Young & Rubicam creative director Michael Belitsos on its Jan. 5 show. Belitsos discussed the making of the Lincoln LS 60-second TV spot called Surprising Journey,one of two new spots for the Lincoln LS. Belitsos splits his time between the company’s Irvine and San Francisco offices.
Register reporter Michelle Nicolosi, one of three reporters who shared the spotlight when the newspaper won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the UCI egg fertility scandal, has left to join HomePage.com in Pasadena.
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The Orange County Advertising Federation is seeking entries for its 2000 ADDY Awards to be held March 25 at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel. The deadline for entries is Jan. 21.
Attention past and future award-winning Orange County journalists: the Orange County Press Club wants your entries for this year’s annual contest by Jan. 21.
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Women in Business Orange County is holding its 2nd Annual Prominent Women Journalists Forum this Wednesday at the Sutton Place Hotel in Newport Beach. This year’s lineup will be moderated by Ann Pulice, reporter and anchor, KOCE-TV. On the panel are reporter Terri-Rae Elmer, KFI-AM radio; Cynthia Griffin, senior editor, Entrepreneur magazine; Register business reporter Jan Norman; D.M. Osborne, senior writer, Inc. magazine; and Times OC sports writer Diane Pucin.
Ryan Rieches, principal of RiechesBaird Advertising, Public Relations and e-Business was recently elected to a four-year term as vice president of programs for the Marketing and Advertising Global Network. Rieches will plan and implement three main conferences each year, including two in North America and one in Europe. The independently owned ad shop is one of 32 such advertising agencies who are members of the network in North America.
