I arrived home today to find a Northern Connector overflowing from my mailbox. The paper was jammed so tight that i had to put some muscle into yanking it out, and the two important pieces of mail I did have in there went flying out!
I love the fact that Prince Rupert still has a newspaper delivered by local carriers. What I take issue with is how overstuffed with advertisements and understuffed with decent journalism this product has become. Given the fact there is almost no new editorial content (stories are posted to the web throughout the week) there is no justification for 10 individual flyers packed together inside. There are already many paid ads within the paper that make it profitable, so having more than 3 or 4 separate insets per issue is just gluttony.
I realize it is the holiday season and therefore we need to be inundated and persuaded with reasons to consume, but I for one would rather not get anything in my mailbox than to have 2-4lbs of flyers each week to recycle. I won’t even belabor the lack of editing before articles are posted online, or the complete absence of investigative reporting into obvious and burning local issues (the incompetence of City spending and planning, the fact Tourism Prince Rupert’s financial statements aren’t published, etc.)
As a small town resident I am willing to accept certain concessions for my generally amazing quality of life. However, as a community in the global spotlight, with so much to lose riding on the way we are represented in the media, we should not allow Black Press to disrespect Prince Rupert any longer. We should demand more accountability from this publication as our paper of record, and not settle for this poor reflection of our general sentiments and consensus as residents and tax payers.
All I’m asking for is a product I can take a small amount of local pride in when I see it waiting in my mailbox on Wedenesday and Friday.
Blame Walmart. Some weeks they have 2 of the exact same flyer in the paper.
Sure let us all Blame the New Guys . Make them responsible for yours . our mess . We all knew that it would lead to that . So how about their cheap labour and the safe working areas they work with . What was that two fires in one week ? They need to hire or replace over one hundred more .
at least you get a paper !!
i personally enjoyed the big stack of flyers that come with the paper,
makes shopping trips easier, and their just fun to look through sometimes.
but we don’t get papers anymore 
Instead of complaining on here, where it doesn’t do ANYTHING. Why not phone the paper. Keep complaining at them until they do something about it.
Maybe talk to your delivery person and ask them not to deliver the paper to your house.
Keep in mind The View receives income for including the flyers with the paper which in turn helps to employ part time workers who collate and stuff the papers and the many delivery people.
Recycling newspaper really not that difficult, bin in Overwaitea parking lot is pretty accessible.
Or get off your couch, send in your resume and get to work. According to the new editor they’re looking for a sales person and a reporter. You could either do something about all those flyers or provide some investigative journalism and correct spelling mistakes …
I have had the same problem with the paper, stuffed into my mailbox, to the point, almost pulled it off the wall more than once! We can get the “news” online and we can also pick up each of those flyers at the store itself and for sure, we are all out and about to pick up one each week. Between it and the Northern View and their repeat flyers, a bit much. I can appreciate that folks are being paid for this work, which is why I won’t phone and complain, we have a nice carrier and I don’t want to see her lose a job. Why don’t they purchase inexpensive clear bags, like them big city folks, and wrap our papers in that? Then they could just leave it outside the door, rain and all!
All those flyers you want are available on-line. However those delivered flyers are a big chunk of these type of publications’ incomes. Their profits will continue to wane, however, as more people habituate to the internet.
Those of you who need to rag on about typos and badly written stories will find these in abundance on the web. Enjoy!
I agree with points raised, I think possibly newspapers should only be delivered upon request there a still a few soles who don’t use the internet… I get tired at my apartment block seeing maybe 10 or less out of 25 tenants taking the papers and the rest get thrown out. Often more papers than the total number of tenants are dropped off, and I see bundles in dumpsters and even during some of my walks left sitting in the rain. I know it provides work but how much point is there in this?
Ultimately it comes down to accountability and profitability. No company will continue to provide a service if there are enough complaints and threats of withdrawals of patronage.
I wholeheartedly agree with cliffsoninsanity who started this topic. There are so many reasons to complain about so many issues around town, and if the straw has finally broken your metaphorical back, tell someone!
Ask Black Press to do some investigating into Tourism Prince Rupert and their finances, or the bloating of city administration spending over the last few years. Complain to them when you read ridiculous articles that offer no value, or obvious spelling and grammar mistakes that should not be happening at a professional newspaper. Complain about the lack of editorial content if that’s what you want.
Zeno Krekic, the city’s planner, said something very intriguing at a recent open house: “almost everything is complaint driven nowadays. If the person who makes the decisions doesn’t hear the complaints they will have no reason to change anything”.
In that case he was talking about the city specifically, but it applies throughout small town PR. If you know that you and a bunch of others are displeased with something, start a letter campaign, email who needs to be emailed, get the word out!
There is not shortage of options to voice the need for change!
Why not do what lots of other people have done, put up a “NO FLYERS OR NEWSPAPERS PLEASE” sign.
Your deliveries may soon have a new face, if the new publisher has his way
thenorthernview.com/opinion/181198801.html
So, does this mean that the Northern View is going to “fire” all its current carriers and replace them with local groups, using the paper for their fundraising?
Taking away the work that the current carriers have been doing for how many years now. Some good, some obviously not so. Still for many it’s a valuable job.
Kind of negates the valuable advice of a previous opinion piece.
thenorthernview.com/opinion/175632951.html
So much for getting up off your couch and looking for a job I guess… it may just be given away anyways.
[quote=“Smurfette”]Your deliveries may soon have a new face, if the new publisher has his way
thenorthernview.com/opinion/181198801.html
So, does this mean that the Northern View is going to “fire” all its current carriers and replace them with local groups, using the paper for their fundraising?
Taking away the work that the current carriers have been doing for how many years now. Some good, some obviously not so. Still for many it’s a valuable job.
Kind of negates the valuable advice of a previous opinion piece.
thenorthernview.com/opinion/175632951.html
So much for getting up off your couch and looking for a job I guess… it may just be given away anyways.[/quote]
I don’t think that was what he was saying at all. I think you’re putting words in his mouth at the moment.
[quote=“bubbasteve735”]
I don’t think that was what he was saying at all. I think you’re putting words in his mouth at the moment.[/quote]
No words were put into his mouth. I posed a question …
I don’t know whether he plans to replace current carriers with volunteers. Do you know his plans?
I do not know his current plans, and even if I did, it is not my place, or anyone else’s place on here to say them. Maybe it would benefit you, as I’ve said before, to call the news paper and tell them your suggestions. Maybe you might hear a bit more of the story. And maybe your feedback would be appreciated.
What?? Now it’s not anyone’s place to say, on this chat site, what local businesses may have planned? Haven’t you been paying attention to this site? It’s mostly guessing and innuendo - that’s why people participate!
[quote=“drummerboy”]
What?? Now it’s not anyone’s place to say, on this chat site, what local businesses may have planned? Haven’t you been paying attention to this site? It’s mostly guessing and innuendo - that’s why people participate![/quote]
If you haven’t noticed, I don’t guess. And even if I know, I don’t say anything. It’s not my place.