The Tribune Issue Gets Another Dimension

There has been something new added to the mix regarding the Tribune yanking the Central Tampa Edition. I read in the Tribune that that on March 6, the St. Pete Times will be having its version of the Weekly Planet, the TBT* go to a 5 day a week format. Instead of using the TBT* initials, they will be calling it by its full name, the Tampa Bay Times. The Tribune has reacted by launching a suit against the St. Pete Times. The Tampa Tribune owns the rights to the name of the Tampa Times, a paper that was merged with The Tribune in 1982. There was a previous lawsuit on this issue several years back, when the St. Pete Times began calling it's Tampa edition The Times. That lawsuit was settled with the St. Pete times backing off.

How does this affect us and our battle over the Central Tampa Edition? It might put more pressure on the Tribune to consider renaming the South Tampa edition to something more inclusive like the Tampa Times edition, and thereby bringing that name out in front of the public.

Or it might give us Central Tampa residents a venue that we are lacking in the Tribune. This might tie in with the Nuclear Option. Canceling subscriptions and advertising.

I have heard many residents talk about canceling their subscription to the Tribune if they do not reach an accommodation with us. What would happen if we made that an organized effort? If we created a "Cancel The Tribune Subscription Day" and recruited everyone we know in Central Tampa to cancel their suscription?If we put it in our newsletters, on our websites and our blogs? Handed out flyers? And made this a year long campaign? If we pushed "Don't Advertise In The Tribune" campaign also all year long?

We could enter into talks with the St. Pete Times and the Tampa Bay Times to see if they would gives us back the recognition of the community identity the Tribune has discarded? What if we sought sponsorship for our neighborhood homes tours, fundraisers and other Central Tampa events from the St. Petes times and TBT? See the St. Pete Times balloon all over the place instead of the Tribunes? What if we could swing a deal where people who switch over to the St. Pete times as part of the cmapaign would get a discount on their subscription? Or if we worked a deal where as part of any membership in the Civic Associations you would get so many weeks free of the St. Pete Times. What if we could get a deal where would get some initial discount on advertising rates?

Why would the Times agree to such breaks? As loss leaders to improve the Tampa circulation figures for the Times. I'm looking at an ad in the Tribune that says 9 out of ten newspaper readers in Hillsboorough County read the Tribune? What if between such a newspaper boycott and the introduction of the TBT 5 days a week that changed to 8 out of ten or 7 out of ten? That would not look good to the Tribunes advertisers and would mean a cut in revenue. Advertising rates are based on circulation. So less circulation would mean they would have to charge lower advertising rates.

This type of boycott/buycott would have a good chance of succeding as compared to prior ones, because it is based not on politics but on local coverage. As a moderate to liberal Republican often I am more politically leaning towards the St. Pete Times, but it is that local coverage that keeps me with the Tribune.

By the way more and more people are planning on attending. I was told that the Seminole Heights Book Club moved its monthly meeting to Wednesday so they could go to the Tribune meeeting.