Typically, the nation’s newspapers publish on Labour Day to give those of us who get the day off something to read in bed after a well-deserved sleep in. However, The Globe and Mail has sent a letter to its subscribers letting them know that they too are taking Monday off. Of course, their reasoning has more to do with ad sales than anything else.
Strange, no, that they put their advertising woes at their readers feet in such a way? So plainly? What do you think of this communication tactic?
Dear Subscriber:The Globe and Mail has decided not to publish a newspaper on Labour Day, Monday, September 2, 2013, due to a lack of advertising revenue for this issue, which is needed to cover the costs of formatting, printing and delivery of the paper, and the number of vacation stops by subscribers.
As a 5 and 6-day print subscriber, we’d like to remind you that you can receive unlimited access to everything at globeandmail.com with your complimentary subscription to Globe Unlimited, including subscriber-only features such as Streetwise and ROB Insight, offering the latest financial news, Globe Politics Insider, a behind-the-scenes look at Canadian Politics, and Globe World Insider, insights and analysis of world events. Additionally, we will be sending you a Labour Day eBook with insights on the news and trends worth watching as we head into the fall season.
If you have not yet activated your complimentary subscription to Globe Unlimited, please visit www.globeandmail.com/globeunlmited and click the Yes I am a newspaper print subscriber button to get started.
We hope you enjoy Globe Unlimited and thank you for your continued support.
Yours truly,
Phillip Crawley
Publisher & CEO
The Globe and Mail
UPDATE (Aug 28, 2013 @ 13:17): It looks like Postmedia is doing the same with the National Post. Again, low advertiser interest is named the cause. Canadian Press reports the following:
Postmedia is sidelining its slate of daily newspapers across the country on Labour Day.The owner of the National Post says that this year none of its newspaper will publish on the holiday Monday.
Postmedia spokeswoman Phyllise Gelfand says that Labour Day is a “high vacation period and a low advertising period,” which factored into the decision.
Gelfand noted that readers will still have access to updates on the company’s website.
Newspapers that won’t publish on Labour Day for the first time this year are the Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette and Ottawa Citizen.
The National Post hasn’t published a Labour Day edition since 2008. Other Postmedia newspapers which have stopped production on the holiday in the past include the Vancouver Sun, the Vancouver Province, the Regina Leader-Post, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, and the Windsor Star.
On Tuesday, the Globe and Mail publisher Phillip Crawley told subscribers in an email that it would forgo a Labour Day edition due to the lack of ad revenue to cover the production and delivery of the paper, as well as the number of subscribers on vacation.
