OLD Media Moves

North Dakota paper charges for business briefs

May 2, 2012

Posted by Chris Roush

Jim Romenesko reports that the Grand Forks Herald newspaper in North Dakota is now charging people and companies who want to submit a business news brief.

This is from a Romenesko reader:

I got back an email letting me know that the Herald now runs paid business briefs every Saturday, and my brief could run for $70. I sent them another brief just last week and got the same note:

Good Afternoon John,

The Grand Forks Herald publishes business briefs on a paid basis to ensure your company’s news items are published in a timely manner. The business briefs will publish in the business section of Saturday’s Herald. As an added value, your brief will be included on GrandForksHerald.com. The deadline is Tuesday at 5 p.m. to run in the Saturday edition for $70 (up to 75 words), additional words are 10¢ per word and photos are $5 each.
Did you still want to proceed?

Thanks
Paula Walden
Classified Advertising Manager

So far, I haven’t chosen to pay for a brief. They’ve gotta make a living, so I don’t begrudge them the effort. But I can’t help but think it cuts their business readers off from a potentially useful stream of information. Those little briefs often are about who got promoted, who got a new piece of business, who’s expanding their building. Things that don’t rise to the level of a staff-written story, but are useful little bits of business intelligence. And now, like me, many people will probably choose not to pay $70 to put their little bit of business intelligence out into the world.

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