The Philadelphia Bulletin, a conservative weekday paper with a small but loyal following, shut down abruptly yesterday, idling 25 workers.
This is actually the second time a Bulletin in Philadelphia has closed. The first time was in 1982, but Thomas Rice bought up the name and relaunched the Bulletin as “Philadelphia’s Family Paper” in 2004.
By most accounts, the new Bulletin struggled from the start. Staffers said paychecks were often late. Ads were scarce. Critics complained of questionable fact-checking and a tendency for the Bulletin to select wire service stories that cast liberals in a poor light.
The Bulletin retained its predecessor’s famous slogan, “In Philadelphia Nearly Everybody Reads the Bulletin,” but that stretched the truth. The paper claimed a circulation of 100,000, but the numbers weren’t audited and staffers said they didn’t know how many copies were actually paid for. Columnist Herb Denenberg says he’s never actually seen a copy.
The Bulletin‘s website doesn’t mention news of the closure and Rice was unavailable for comment.
The Bulletin struggled in a hostile environment and a market that’s barely able to support two daily papers, let alone three. In that respect, the story is reminiscent of the New York Sun, a weekday paper serving Wall Street that shut down last October.
Comments
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 at 6:55 am and is filed under Facebook. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
[…] via RIP Philadelphia Bulletin | Newspaper Death Watch. […]
You would think a news paper who shut down would let people know on their Web Site and would allow for you to sign up for new and gift subscriptions. Weird.
I meant wouldn’t allow you to sign up for new and gift subscriptions. Their site still does.
I suspect the last thing on their minds is taking down the circulation promotion.
Community Newspapers should look into an innovative community website system we have created on http://www.communitywebsites.com where they can license and manage their city site with various revenue models to help local businesses.
Tom Vellaringattu 516 655 4317
Buy phentermine….
Buy phentermine….
What started out as a simple buying guide for the mobile-manufactured home industry became a best seller, out selling all other related housing publications combined. Today Randall is considered an industry expert and provides consulting services to builders and developers.
Many purchasing the manufactured home book were also interested in
modular home prices . After numerous emails and requests for a modular home comparison guide, Randall and staff started researching modular home builders in the United States. In 2003 J R Consumer Resources published their second book, “Modular Home Buyers Guide.”
Today we offer one book rating 169 producers in the United States. We have combined both best selling books and added comprehensive rating charts by region with important buying tips. This information is not available in book stores and can only be purchased online.
http://www.modularhomesnetwork.com/
I think the Inquire couldn’t take the competition!!!! It makes you wonder about freedom of the press in Philadelphia..
I hold an insurance policy i paid for a a paper boy. Is this still a valid paid-up policy? It has a face value off 475.00 that i dillently paid for. I am 74 yrs old. I held on to this policy. If the Bulletin doesn’t exist is this policy not worth the paper it’s written on.
SU ARITMA…
[…]RIP Philadelphia Bulletin | Newspaper Death Watch[…]…
פורטל חדשות…
[…]RIP Philadelphia Bulletin | Newspaper Death Watch[…]…
As a child I remember(50’60’s) my mother (Kensigton) always telling me that she paid for a Insurnce Policy for me and she was so pround it was paid for. The insurance policy was sold by the Phila Bulliten and she paid for it weekly. It know it was for a small amount but is the principal of sacrafice that she put money aside for me every week to pay for it. Does anyone know where I could find out what insurance company it was. It would be something I could pass along to my family that was paid for by thier great- grandmother.
WHEN I WAS A KID GROWING UP IN KENSIGTON IN PHILA.EVERYONE READ THE BILLITEN,WE DID’NT KNOW THERE WERE ANY ORTHER PAPERS AROUND.SORRY TO SEE THE ”OLD PAPER ”GO