The Washington Post on cutting stock listings

No, the Post is not announcing that it is cutting stock listings like the Chicago Tribune, Providence Journal, Newsday, Rocky Mountain News, Orlando Sentinel and other papers have in the past six weeeks.

Reporter Steven Livingston covered the story from the angle of how newspapers are developing a print/web relationship.

Livingston writes: “The Rocky Mountain News has been among the most aggressive in wiping out stock tables. Many other papers have moved some of their listings online, and if they haven’t, they’re getting close.

“The changes often rankle readers used to checking yesterday’s General Motors stock price over coffee at the breakfast table. But as newspaper circulation declines and newsprint prices rise, pressure is building on publishers to cut costs and move more of their franchise to the Internet.”

Livingston reports that the New York Times and Los Angeles Times are mulling changes to their stock listings but haven’t made any decisions. A Washington Post spokesman declined to comment.

Livingston added: “The stock-table debate underscores the growing convergence of newspapers’ print and online operations. Once the geeky cousin kept at arm’s length, newspaper Web sites are playing a growing role in disseminating the news.

“In recent months, both the New York Times and USA Today merged their online and print newsrooms. And Dow Jones & Co. last week put its Internet and newspaper operations together in a new unit under a corporate-wide restructuring.”

Read the entire article here.