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| Last updated at 5:26 PM on 10/07/08 |
'Godspeed Ryan Cleary' 
Guest commentary from former Current publisher
GEOFF MEEKER (MEEKER ON MEDIA) 
The Telegram
The Independent is in no position to accuse other publications of poaching advertisers, says the former publisher of Current magazine.
Mark Smith was the publisher of Current until he sold his stake in the publication in 2006. He called me yesterday to vent about news coverage of The Independent, and was not exactly sympathetic to Ryan Cleary's claims that The Telegram was aggressively trying to steal his advertisers.
I said, 'Why don't you put it on the record as a guest commentary for my blog?' He agreed.
Point of disclosure: Smith is a former business partner of mine and someone with whom I have done contract work recently. That said, it should be stressed that the following commentary represents his views entirely - a point that will become obvious as you read.
I have my own views on The Independent, and will offer these in a future post. Here's Mark Smith's commentary:
Let's be clear about one thing: the newspaper business is about
making money. I made money. I made my investment back and then some.
Had a bit of fun, but it was hard work and not very profitable.
At Current we used the industry standard multiplier to determine
readership. 2.5 times the print run, presuming a high-percentage pick-
up. We, on average, printed 6,500 copies, so we had a readership of
16,500. Anecdotally, we knew we had a higher readership than that
because we knew the paper changed hands a lot more than most, but we
calculated readership within the confines of the industry's standards.
At the time, the Independent was printing slightly less than we were.
This information came from a senior level contact at Transcon, who
prints the paper for them. But, Cleary and his sales people were
telling potential advertisers that they had a readership upwards of
30,000. That was clearly untrue, but that was what they were telling
people.
Because of this discrepancy, we decided to test the pick-up rate of
the Independent. For a three week period we monitored 30 locations
across St. John's and counted their papers. I can't recall the exact
numbers, but I think their pick-up rate was floating around 20%. So,
do the math: 6,000 copies printed times a pick-up rate of 20% times a
standard multiplier of 2.5 readers per paper gave them a readership of
3000. So, clearly there is something going on here from an ethical
point of view that smells kind of funny.
That they don't have the advertising support to make a go of it is no
surprise, there needs to be a level of trust there, just like with the
readers, and it's hard to trust somebody who doesn't shoot straight.
Not to mention whines like a baby anytime something doesn't go his way.
As for predatory sales tactics, the Independent doesn't practice what
it preaches. Or, should I say it practices what it preaches against.
Not only did they steal our sales person - and accompanying
proprietary sales information - but we had calls from advertisers telling us that the
Independent was using our paper as a template for contacting them and
then trying to make the case for switching. I don't really have a
problem with that because everybody does it, so nothing new there, but
to hear Cleary on the radio this morning with his usual bombastic
hyperbole and inflated numbers, not to forget his inflated sense of
self, brought me back to those days and almost made me lose my
breakfast.
I think I will keep the radio turned off for the next few weeks
because if the Independent is having difficulties - like that was hard
to predict - then that must mean Cleary is going to go on air to
snivel and beg for his life again like he did last time. It must be
really embarrassing for his co-workers and family to have to hear him
whining and crying about how important he is to the future of freedom
of speech in the province.
There are some very good people at the paper, Paul Daly and Stephanie
Porter stand-out in my mind, and it will be a loss when they go. But
for the rest of them, I expect there must be a community newspaper in
northern Alberta that could use a self-important and grandiose
personality like Cleary. Our loss will be their... loss I guess. But
better them than us. Godspeed Ryan Cleary... don't let the door hit
your ass on the way out.
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10/07/08
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Frank Carroll from Stephenville, Newfoundland writes: First up, I'll admit my biases. I'm an old friend of Ryan's and once wrote a column for the Independent.
That being said, I'm a little sick of this blog being used as a forum to whip and villify Ryan.
Some of the criticism has been valid. Like some of the other commentators, I find the nationalistic slant of The Independent is far too over the top. I'd like to see more investigative journalism and fewer opinion pieces in the paper. And I thought the paper's failure to declare its owner's connection to Astraeus in an article about the airline was a mistake.
Nonetheless, the Independent is a good newspaper, and Ryan has to be given much of the credit for that. He is passionate about The Independent and that passion shows through in the overall quality of the paper, for which he is responsible. Much of the credit also has to go to his excellent staff.
Like all journalists, Ryan is a public figure and therefore a legitimate target for criticism. However, I find that much of the criticism directed toward him has been unbalanced.
You've got a problem with the bombastic writing style? Fine. You think the cost-benefit analysis of Confederation was amateurish. Fine. Address the issues. But don't forget to look at the man's accomplishments too. He isn't the villain he's sometimes made out to be.
At any rate, Ryan is not - or should not be - the main issue here. The most important issue is that the province may be about to lose a vibrant competitor to the Transcontinental monopoly. The Telegram has responded to competition in the past by beefing up its editorial operations. (There would be no Sunday edition of the Telegram were it not for the Sunday Express.) My concern is that if the Independent goes under, Transcon will lose some of its incentive to maintain a strong newsroom. (This comment is in no way directed at the editors of the Telegram; they don't hold the purse strings.)
As for the controversy over circulation numbers, it's hard for me to judge. I personally have never heard or read Ryan claiming a circulation of 30,000 or 40,000. Today, I'm hearing others -including a former competitor - attribute those claims to either him or the advertising salespeople at the Indpendent. I just don't know.
Speaking of ethics, how ethical would it be for someone at Transcontinental to tell one of the Independent's competitors how many papers it was printing - assuming the unnamed Transcon source cited by Mark Smith actually released this figure?
If I were running the Transcon printing operations, I would look into this allegation so that other clients could rest assured that their information is not being released to their competitors.
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| Posted 10/07/2008 at 6:50 PM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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Geoff Meeker from Newfoundland writes: Hey Frank, there is no intent here to 'whip or villify' anyone. You are quite welcome to jump into the fray and offer your opinion, as everyone is.
Please note that I haven't offered my opinion on The Independent yet. It's your opinion that the paper is good, and you are entitled to that opinion.
As for the readership of 40,000, CBC got this figure from The Independent's own web site.
And you do ask a good question about how Smith got that circulation number, though I do know that Transcon is a big company, and this is a small town.
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| Posted 10/07/2008 at 7:55 PM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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Mark Smith from St. John's, NL writes: Frank Carrol writes:
As for the controversy over circulation numbers, it's hard for me to judge. I personally have never heard or read Ryan claiming a circulation of 30,000 or 40,000. Today, I'm hearing others -including a former competitor - attribute those claims to either him or the advertising salespeople at the Indpendent. I just don't know.
Mark Smith responds:
Well Frank, for such a loyal customer maybe you should start at the About Us page on the Independent web site. But here, let me quote it for you, as it looks like I might have understated it:
The Independent is an independently owned and operated Newfoundland and Labrador weekly newspaper. It is the only provincewide newspaper in the province, available at more than 750 retail outlets, and delivered to 4,000 homes in the greater St. John’s metropolitan area. The Independent has a readership of 40,000, according to a 2006 readership survey.
Notice it says a 2006 readership survey. Well it , is Ryan Cleary, the public face of the paper. Do you see the words audited readership anywhere? I don't. When the Audit Bureau verifies that readership let me know. Until then, advertiser beware. Or, should I say, potential investors, beware.
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| Posted 10/07/2008 at 7:57 PM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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Russell Wangersky from St. John's, NL writes: Frank:
One quick note - there's no controversy about what The Independent claims about circulation - it's in their own advertising, and in the about us section of their website - 4,000 home-delivered copies, and a readership of 40,000.
And as for people piling on Ryan, well, The Independent has troubles - Ryan has decided to say that those troubles are always someone else's fault. And sometimes, the someone elses don't like it when the blame is just plain made up. As in false.
Russell Wangersky
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| Posted 10/07/2008 at 8:03 PM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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Mark Watton from ON writes: I have never had any time for the Independent's editorial slant. That being said, I have a certain amount of admiration for Cleary's determination, and his passion for the product he puts out every week. No matter what I may think of the content, while I know many people as passionate about federalism as Ryan is about what he espouses, I know few who've been willing to put their money where their mouth is, so to speak.
My bigger issue with the newspaper isn't its claims regarding circulation, or even it's nationalist bent. My beef has always been the paper's blatant use as a shill for its backers and its backers' interests, political and commercial. I, for one, actually believe the paper's claims with respect to circulation. I remember the very first edition of the Independent I came across. If memory serves, (correct me if I'm wrong) it was the first issue. It was while I was living in Corner Brook. And lo and behold, there were hundreds available for free at every store in every street. Free - with a full colour, full-page grinning mug of the newly minted candidate in Humber West. The timing and distribution was impeccable. You haven't seen so many papers in one place ever since.
My skepticism has never been about the Independent's claims of circulation, but rather, for the circulator's claims of independence.
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| Posted 10/07/2008 at 10:01 PM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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Ed Hollett from St. John's, NL writes: Frank, the most telling part of your defence of Ryan is that when it came time for you to list the accomplishments at the Indy, there is a huge blank spot.
That says it all.
And please, spare us the Sunday Express comparisons. Russell and others may not feel like saying but I'll be the first to put a knife through the heart of that presumptuous comparison.
I knew the Sunday Express. The Sunday Express was my friend. And the Indy sir, was no Sunday Express.
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| Posted 10/07/2008 at 10:05 PM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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Craig Westcott from Topsail, Newfoundland writes: Geoff, though I publish a newspaper that competes with The Independent I would not want to see it close. In fact, when it did shut back in 2006, I offered to help Cleary to get it going again and worked hard to revive it before getting fired for suggesting it needed to improve its political and business coverage and for failing to force CBC Radio to tag my weekly commentaries as Craig Westcott of The Independent. Cleary made that latter issue a condition of my employment. But I digress.
Despite its recurrent death throes, the paper still has a good chance to survive. The biggest hurdle is that it has squandered much of its credibility in the past couple of years, the outlandish circulation claims being only the least of it.
Any newspaper is a reflection of its editor. This is as true today as it was when George Brown founded The Globe in Toronto in 1844. Paradoxically, the problem with The Independent is the man who saved it two years ago. Cleary's over the top faux nationalism (everything to do with Newfoundland is good, everything to do with Canada is bad) has obviously been a clumsy attempt to copy Danny Williams' Fighting Newfoundlander routine.
It may buy votes, but it doesn't sell newspapers, especially to the sophisticated and upscale readers whom The Independent should be targetting. Appealing to the mob brings only temporary success. The mob always moves on to another fad. Among the few constants of good journalism are integrity and passion. Too often in the past couple of years, The Independent seemed like it was faking both of those qualities and most readers can eventually sense a fake.
Despite all this, The Independent has a good chance for survival. The provincial government is pumping a good $500,000 into it in advertising every year (granted, it seems, in exchange for Cleary acting as Williams' unofficial PR Man), and has a nucleus of talented columnists and staff. Photo editor Paul Daly is an artist, easily the most talented photographer I've been privileged enough to work with since Ned Pratt at The Sunday Express. Ray Guy is still the best political columnist in the province, bar none. Many years ago, I recruited Patrick O'Flaherty to write for the Sunday Telegram. He was great then and he's better now. Mark Callanan is a rare find. The outdoors and food columnists are wonderful to read. Ivan Morgan, when he pontificated on politics, was good. It's a shame he doesn't write about politics anymore. Brian Callahan has added an interesting and enjoyable dimension to the paper, the misguided attempt to sneak into the Waterford notwithstanding. The newspaper's designer, John Andrews, should have been recruited by The Telegram years ago.
That's obviously a considerable body of talent to work with. On the business side, while The Independent doesn't sell many papers, its circulation staff do get the papers on the stands on time, and Sandra Charters, while she was there, professionalized the advertising sales effort. The ingredients for success remain. What's missing is first rate political coverage and analysis, a good business section, and most of all, a mature, steady and truly independent hand on the editorial wheel.
Cleary is due considerable credit for leading the effort to keep the thing afloat the past couple of years. But one wonders, at what price? Possibly the loss of the paper's original raison d'etre -- namely to offer an independent view of the life, times and politics of this place called Newfoundland. That was the aim of the paper's founders -- Greg Locke, Ward Pike and Jon Drover. It has strayed considerably from that purpose. And that, it seems to me, is the root of the problem.
Craig Westcott
Editor & Publisher
The Business Post.
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| Posted 10/07/2008 at 11:12 PM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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Dennis Rice from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador writes: Craig, I agree with almost all of what you just said, except for the last bit. I think the original model proved unsuccessful a couple of years ago, so I'm not sure what returning to it would accomplish. Then again, perhaps it was the tweaking of the original concept which proved unsuccessful.
Mr. Smith: interesting rant. I found your election shenanigans more entertaining, however.
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| Posted 11/07/2008 at 12:09 AM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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Frank Carroll from Stephenville, Newfoundland writes: Hi Ed,
Actually, Craig did a much better job than I did in listing the Independent's virtues. If I were to boil it down to one thing, it is that the Independent consistently offers a good read.
I wasn't actually saying the Independent is as good a paper as the Express was. Although the photography is better and some of the writing is just as good, I admit it isn't in the same league in terms of investigative reporting - although it was in the lead on the breast cancer screening story. The only point I was trying to make is that competition is good for journalism overall - whether it is from a paper such as the Express or a paper such as The Independent.
Again, I think people are being too fixated on Ryan here. Regardless of what anyone thinks of his columns, they do take up only a small percentage of the paper's overall content.
Mark Smith, thanks for the clarification on readership versus circulation. I thought people were saying the Independent was claiming a CIRCULATION of 40,000. I can't say the About Us section of a newspaper is the first thing I gravitate towards when I pick it up.
Perhaps some clarification is due from the Independent as to how they arrived at the 40,000 readership mark - although I don't dispute their numbers; I just don't know.
And, as I said before, the most important factor for me is the loss of another voice outside of the Transcontinental chain. And I don't mean that as a slight to the Telegram newsroom. Under Russell's leadership, it has produced a lot of fine journalism over the past several years. But in the absence of any print competition, there is less incentive for a company to put up the resources needed for great journalism.
You know, Mark, I can't tell you how to feel about Ryan. It appears you would be glad to see him out of a job. But there's a danger that a number of other people - good people - will also lose their jobs. We shouldn't lose sight of that.
Geoff, thanks for the chance to voice my opinion. I'm looking forward to your column on the Independent - although I haven't read many kind words about the paper in this blog in the past. Some of your criticism has been valid, but I hope we can all agree with Craig that the paper has its strong points and a lot of potential.
Craig, I wonder if the root of the paper's problems go back to its founding without a strong business and circulation plan. It seems to have always struggled financially, and I'm amazed it has been able to survive despite being handicapped from the beginning.
Let's not forget that newspaper readership overall is dwindling. It's tough out there for small and large papers alike.
Respectfully, Frank
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| Posted 11/07/2008 at 1:01 AM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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Ed Hollett from St. John's, NL writes: Craig:
You make some good observations, even though I'd disagree with you about a few things.
Flaherty may have been an addition once. Now he just fits the nationalist editorial line at the Indy. As such he doesn't add anything except another caricature. (See his most recent column)
Morgan was silenced deliberately. He gives another version of it but odds are his hard-hitting political comments died as part of the price for keeping the cash flowing. There's the problem Mark referred to.
Frank, the Indy didn't have the lead on the breast cancer story. Go check the testimony. The Indy had it wrong. Eastern handed them a version of the correct story on a platter. NTV had it at the same time. After that first weekend everyone else did it and did it just as good if not better.
Beyond that, notice that the paper has all but abandoned the story entirely. They buggered up aspects of the House of Assembly story. You can list more of those examples than of stuff that really shone.
The only point I was trying to make is that competition is good for journalism overall - whether it is from a paper such as the Express or a paper such as The Independent.
Competition is good. If you add up all the comments here from different people, it's pretty clear the Indy wasn't competing on any level.
You consistently pit the Indy against the Telly in some fashion. Check the market. The Telly is competing with the electronics and vice versa as a daily news source.
The Indy could be competing but after three kicks at exactly the same approach, that same old same old still wasn't working.
Again, I think people are being too fixated on Ryan here. Regardless of what anyone thinks of his columns, they do take up only a small percentage of the paper's overall content.
His editorial decisions are on every page. It's hard not to put responsibility for the second failure squarely on the shoulders of the guy responsible for making the decisions. If he actually wasn't making the decisions then therein might be the root of yet another problem.
But just about every comment here has laid bare the answers:
- business plan/model: The paper's been reborn three times and gone back to the same failed model three times. Hello!
- editorial: from the one source wonders to the shilling everyone has a reason to complain rather than a reason to cheer.
There are talented people doing talented things everywhere and the Indy had its fair share of talented people people who do the heavy lifting each week.
If a newspaper has a shagged up business concept and refuses to change it and has a shagged up editorial approach and doesn't just keep it up but intensifies it, all the pretty writing in the world can't save it.
Darwin got it right.
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| Posted 11/07/2008 at 8:20 AM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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Pamela Pardy-Ghent from Hr. Mille, NL writes: I find it interesting that most blogs here have few-if any-comments. This piece on The Independent, and the one about it on the CBC site-has many. That alone says The Independent is worth (at the very least) talking about.
I’ll be having a baby this week and I’ll be ready to go right back to work (with bells on) the next. God willing baby will be healthy and I will be well enough to pick up right where I left off and (whomever willing) The Independent (Ryan and the rest of the team) will still be alive, kicking and doing what they do best-stirring up healthy debate. Just like the one that is happening on here.
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| Posted 11/07/2008 at 9:59 AM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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W McLean from ON writes: Pamela, I'd juxtapose your comment and the liveliness of this disuccsion, with the fact that, back in the day when the Independent experimented with a web forum on its site, you could have fired virtual cannonballs down the middle of it without even messing up anyone's hair.
And congratulations on birthweek!
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| Posted 11/07/2008 at 2:13 PM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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Jeff Ogilvie from St. John's, Newfoundland writes: There's plenty of bad, amateurish writing in the Independent. But it's Cleary's voice that drives a lot of readers away. The guy is so full of himself I suspect you can hear the seams bursting if you stand too close to him.
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| Posted 13/07/2008 at 8:09 AM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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Christopher Ballard from St. John's, Newfoundland writes: I find it interesting that those who speak well of The Indy's staff, list off its employees specifically and their attributes, however Mr. Cleary is often left off this list.
Obviously, this is a case of a highly-talented and accomplished group of workers being led down the garden path by somebody who, perhaps, should not be in a position of leadership.
If a hockey team continuously fails, the team isn't disbanded, but the coach or general manager is usually quick to find the door.
If Mr. Cleary really values the position The Indy holds in the community, maybe he should be the one to walk away. Maybe investors and/or advertisers should be given the option of an Indy WITHOUT Mr. Cleary.
Obviously, as other bloggers have noted, they already have a very talented staff. Why not let those people shine away from Mr. Cleary's so-called leadership?
I still cringe when I recall 'The Cleary Days' at the Newfoundland Herald.
Here was an arts and entertainment magazine -- nothing more, nothing less -- that all of a sudden became a platform for Mr. Cleary to try to single-handedly take down the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and multi-national fish processing companies.
I mean, do we really need a five-page investigative report in The Newfoundland Herald about the inner-workings of DFO, complete with requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act?
Come on! This is a magazine people pick up to read about who's dress Jennifer Lopez is wearing - NOT about how Ryan Cleary wants to make a name for himself!
The only saving grace was that The Herald has been able to do what it does best since 'The Cleary Era' ended!
In conclusion, Mr. Cleary, I have no doubt that you're reading this blog and its follow-up comments. To you, I beg, leave The Indy. Help it survive. Give it the chance it deserves to shine -- WITHOUT you.
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| Posted 13/07/2008 at 11:14 AM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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Peter Austin from CBS, NL writes: I'm no publisher, or jounalist, but how many people or families will actually buy and read two papers regularly. I get the Telegram Saturdays only, (despite perpetual phone solicitations to get seven papers a week), because it carries a lot of things that the Independant doesn't. Some weeks come and go when I never open it, though someone always does.
With online news, radio, TV and word of mouth news in NL, I don't feel that I miss out on anything truly newsworthy.
The harsh reality for papers in St. John's is that one paper will typically be chosen over the other, and if yours ain't
number one you have to struggle to retain ample readership to run your business.
It seems that The Daily News, The Express, The Independant and others all have faced that harsh reality. Such is business in a democracy.
Perhaps a strong push towards ad subsidized web news and poignant, no BS jounalism in an online format will work. Many people obviously favour an alternative, particularly if it supports feedom of speech and non-bias reporting.
Also, recycling or not, do we really need to produce and toss out that much paper regularly? Someone ought to do the math and report on that.
It is time for a new direction in the newspaper business. In todays world even the Transcontinental's must eventually face the news that the world is going green. That's part of the reason we're engaged in this online blog.
From a business standpoint, the Telegram simply has a huge upper hand. Market dominance can be hard to battle,
especially when your facing a Goliath competitor like Transcontinental.
It likely doesn't help when little Johnny or Joannie are paid pennies to distribute the beast either. I'm sure the Exec's will argue global tradition , and it's a healthy enterprise for the kids , but anyway you colour or spin it, it was since it's inception, and still is, child labour for increased profits.
If you're going to continue Ryan, you'll likely need a fresh angle/idea, so as not go head to head against such a monster competitor.
Selling papers to consumers may not be where it's at so much anymore. Maybe selling ads on a vibrant high readership web site will work. Greener, less production headaches and costs. Also you won't have to trust and pay your
competitor for printing.
I read some humbling and poignant advice years ago - you want more? get better , or in this case, smarter.
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| Posted 17/07/2008 at 10:45 AM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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