Posted by phil on March 31, 2009 at 09:51:00:
In Reply to: The Tribune is moving the TV guide to Saturday posted by theWatcher on March 30, 2009 at 12:41:47:
Their goal is to sell newspapers. If I were running a paper, I would not be thrilled that some days circulation is higher than anothers'. I'd want to make the paper a destination, every day. Sunday for X, Saturday for Y, and so on. The way they are doing it now is stupid- if you subscribe to Sunday and Wednesday, they practically beg you to take the rest of the week. Why? Because nobody wants it. It's birdcage liner that piles up. Presumably, that's how they sell the ads too.
So you take the things that customers want and you line them up so that there is a reason to buy a paper every day. NBC tried this, but went overboard. They moved all their shows around sometimes from week to week. Their rationale was that people would follow their favorite programs. I think they over-did it, as a lot of people like the idea of appointment TV, and the rest Tivo it.
But if the newspaper does it judiciously, it will build the brand. "I *need* to subscribe to the paper every day, because there's something relevant to me in every issue."