“ROLL THE PRESSES –HERE COMES BILL HAWKINS”

April 28, 2009: Publisher Bill Hawkins has taken the baton from Rotarian Larry Tarleton at a time of unprecedented challenge to the newspaper industry. A native of Pittsburgh and graduate of Cornell University, Vietnam veteran Bill spent 15 years as editor of the Durham Sun in North Carolina prior to joining the Post and Courier staff. While the P & C is doing “better than GM” it has for the first time in over 200 years had to lay off staff. Non-the-less P & C is a lot better off than many of the huge newspaper corporations who have massive debts and union contracts with which to contend. The big McClatchy firm sold off the Myrtle Beach paper and the remaining paper is now being printed by the P & C.

Since 80 percent of a newspaper’s revenue is derived from advertisements and the really biggest one of those is real estate which is in huge decline, P & C’s revenue has dropped. Big account losses like Circuit City and Linens and Things have hurt, but the small local businesses still recognize the value of newspaper advertising. The P & C is carefully managing expenses and remains profitable. Each weekday they print 90,000 papers with 105,000 on Sunday. While 3% of their news is now on the WEB, print news still reigns supreme, and 82% of papers are still going out as home delivery. He predicts that 20 years from now print news will still be the premium delivery system, but high subscription costs due to home delivery are likely. Papers who have tried to go 100% web news, have failed. There is no substitute for live reporters in the newsroom. P & C continues to have a newsroom staff of 100, one of the largest newspapers in the south. Local newsman, Warren Peper, has joined P & C to build a video delivery system.
The new technology, such as being able to read a whole newspaper on a palm held “blackberry”, is a challenge, but the Post and Courier is geared to win.

Reported by Fred Sales, Keyway Committee