The stories behind the stories: June update

After posting our monthly media blog earlier today, we received a response from Chris Clonts, the managing editor of the Pioneer Press, clarifying the reason for merging the local section with general news and addressing the overall direction the paper is taking.  We thank Chris for sharing this information with us and for giving us permission to post it to our blog.  Below is his response:

• We continue to value local news above all else at the Pioneer Press. It’s what we do and it’s what our readers want, both in print and digitally, where we’re the fastest growing news site in the Twin Cities.  It’s also how we’ve gained ten points of print market share, to an increasingly dominant 68% Sunday and 74% daily over the last few years.

  The changes you noticed aren’t in response to a reduction in the number of reporters we have. We haven’t recently downsized the reporter group. It’s that, as we devote more people to digital coverage, we have a need to produce the print version more efficiently. Having Local News, Business and Nation/World in one section allows us the greatest flexibility to assign space according to the day’s news. It also lets us smooth the flow of completed pages.

  A few points about the changes.

  (1) We’re here to stay. Our significant market share gains help ensure it. The stories we publish every day are more valuable than ever.

  (2) The separate section isn’t ending. We will still have a separate Local News section in the Sunday Pioneer Press. And we will occasionally have a separate Local News section Monday-Saturday as our advertising and printing needs dictate.

  (3) The changes are not a move away from Local News. In fact, we will have the same, if not more, local news stories per paper, as we had before the changes.

  (4) To emphasize the value of Local News, we’ve moved it up in the A-section to the front. Many days, the Local News section will begin with a color page on 3A.

  (5) Our efforts to find local news and get it to the folks have not decreased. They’ve increased, and it shows: In page views and monthly unique visitors, TwinCities.com is indeed the fastest-growing news site in the Twin Cities.

  We’re here to stay. Our significant market share gains help ensure it. The stories we publish every day are more valuable than ever.