Beaver County Times explains stock listings return

On March 14, the Beaver County Times newspaper in Pennsylvania dropped its stock listings from Tuesday through Friday to Sunday only. The small daily was simply following a trend that many other newspapers have taken in past months to lower their newsprint costs and take advantage of the fact that many people now get their stock listings on the Internet.

However, reader’s advocate Marsha Keefer noted in Monday’s paper that the Times has begun publishing some stock listings during the week once again, an admission to its readers that the information is valuable.

Keffer writes, “Apparently, based on the number of calls from dissatisfied readers, Beaver County residents either do not have Internet access or simply prefer conventional printed stock tables.

“Certainly, a newspaper is more convenient and portable, and those seem to be the key reasons people gave for wanting to read the stocks in print.

“The Times yielded and offered a compromise.

“On Thursday, abbreviated stock tables were reinstated. While not comprehensive, the listings include the top NYSE, Amex and Nasdaq stocks and mutual funds; stocks of local interest; 52-week index; and a guide on how to read the tables.

“Times Executive Editor Keith Briscoe said the paper’s decision to eliminate the daily stocks wasn’t a bad decision, but an untimely one.

“‘A newspaper cannot list every stock, but what it can do is offer perspective – to point out market trends, successes and failures. That’s what we will be looking at as we continue to evaluate our stock listings.'”

To read Keefer’s column, go here.