The Chicago Sun-Times is the latest US metropolitan daily to carry 12 pages of branded content produced by the Gannett national newspaper, USA Today.
The decision emerged, according to the Chicago Business Journal, in a memo sent to Sun-Times staff by Timothy Knight, chief executive of the paper’s owner, Wrapports.
He cited research which “indicated” that readers - despite valuing the paper’s local news and sports coverage - also want more national and international stories.
Knight also suggested that research in other cities where USA Today copy has supplemented local content has boosted sales, although - as Journal writer Lewis Lazare pointed out - he gave no specific examples.
Lazare also argues that the addition of USA Today material “looks to be an attempt to fill a void left as the Sun-Times has drastically slashed its own editorial staff”. The paper’s page count has shrunk in recent years along with display ads and circulation.
Chicago media blogger Robert Feder sees it differently. “If you’re a fan of USA Today, you’re going to love the new Sun-Times”. Was his tongue in his cheek, I wonder?
A month ago, Gannett announced several deals to insert content from USA Today into papers owned by other newspaper groups. It was an extension to similar arrangements it pioneered with 35 of its own titles.
As the Wall Street Journal reported, it followed programmes launched by the Washington Post and the New York Times in 2014 in which they offered supplements of their content to other papers.
Comment: Could struggling daily regional titles in the UK benefit from similar deals? Maybe they could. Eight or more pages of national/international news would certainly be a valuable extra.
But what’s in it for the national daily newspaper providers? I can’t imagine national paper publishers doing anything that might further diminish their own sales.
It will be interesting to see whether the deals in the States affect USA Today’s overall circulation figures.
Sources: Robert Feder/Chicago Business Journal/Wall Street Journal
