Clarion-Ledger to Independents: Drop Dead!
May 9, 2006 Want to know how far The Clarion-Ledger/Gannett Corp. is willing to go to control the competition? Keep reading. This past Monday, I sat down in Cups in Fondren with Lee Warmouth, the circulation director of The Clarion-Ledger, so that he could tell me about an "exciting new service" that his company has devised for free-distribution papers like the Jackson Free Press.
Clarion-Ledger Moves In; Indy Media Boxes/Racks Trashed
What citizens can do. June 20, 2006—A little while ago, calls started coming in from the reservoir area, telling us that our racks and boxes, and those of other members of the Mississippi Independent Publishers Alliance, were lined up next to dumpsters at businesses near the reservoir. Todd just drove out there and, lo and behold, there all of us indies were—lined up next to the dumpsters at several locations, including the Conoco on Old Fannin Road (pictured, right) and the one on Lakeland Drive near Wal-Mart. Goliath is on the move. An Alliance member called Ronald Gooding at The Clarion-Ledger, the "Non-daily distribution manager," who said that his guys had been moving our boxes all day, but that he was unaware that any had been put by dumpsters. Interestingly, the eviction letter that TDN/Gannett/Clarion-Ledger sent us said that "the store owner/operator will remove them or have them removed" if we didn't agree to pay TDN to be in their boxes. I guess they changed their minds; not a single business has itself asked us to remove our boxes/racks. We're also hearing that Gannett is letting businesses out of contracts who ask to be—so there's the best reason yet to go visit businesses where the JFP and other free pubs are located. Ask them to keep supporting indy media, and not allow the Gannett Corp. to make us pay our competition for distribution in order for you to be able to pick us up in their businesses. Remember: You can help save independent media; see how here.
Mr. Newhouse: Think ‘Community'
July 5, 2006 Get up to speed on The Clarion-Ledger's scheme here. Or, see Darren Schwindaman's TDN cartoon primer. Editor & Publisher magazine—a national industry bible for journalists, newspapers and news magazines—has a story in its current issue about the free distribution schemes that Gannett Corp. newspapers are implementing around the country. The story focused in large part on TDN ("The Distribution Network") in Jackson, Miss., spearheaded by the Clarion-Ledger.
Meet MIPA
June 14, 2006 As you may know by now, The Clarion-Ledger has recently revealed The Distribution Network (TDN), a scheme to control the distribution of free publications in the Jackson Metro. The Clarion-Ledger met with area retailers, telling them that the newspaper would be happy to clean up the "mess" of free distribution racks in front of their stores by offering a single, 9-panel distribution box owned by the C-L. All the retailer has to do is sign away to The C-L the exclusive right to manage free publication distribution in exchange for 25 percent of the big box's revenue to the retailer. (That tops out at $12 under the current pricing.)
Fighting For The American Dream
May 31, 2006 Editor's Note: The following column about Gannett's effort control independent media is also running in the June issue of Metro Christian Living (formerly Jackson Christian Family). My mission in creating a Christian magazine has everything to do with our citizenship in heaven and promoting a hopeful population explosion therein.
Hands Off Our Printing Presses
May 24, 2006 How to Help Save Local Media I met Marilyn, perfectly dressed and wearing her lipstick, on a late Friday afternoon. And Mike, who ponders with his head in his hands. There were the Blake brothers, looking worried and stressed with their parents on a well-earned vacation to Italy. And Jimmy and Gretchen sitting quietly, soaking up every word. Beverly was friendly but worried about her livelihood. There was Angie, a hard-nosed businesswoman with a great tan. I had never met these people until a group of Jackson's independent publishers all crowded into a borrowed conference room in Fondren Corner to talk about how the Gannett Corp., and its local affiliate, The Clarion-Ledger, was trying to hurt our businesses.
Clarion-Ledger Publisher Responds to Controversy
Clarion-Ledger Publisher John Newhouse has released the following statement to the media about their controversial plan to control free distribution outlets in and around Jackson: The Distribution Network of Central Mississippi (TDN) is a display and delivery network that has been established for the benefit of merchants and free publications in Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties. The growing number of free publications, not just here, but around the country, presents both opportunity and concern for all of us.
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