McHenry County Blog

When I pulled my Chicago Tribune out of the plastic bag and put it on the kitchen counter, you see what I saw:

Above the fold, the Tribune ad says, “Are you better off.” Below the fold, the message continues, “than you were 4 million years ago? – The Croods”

From my point of view, this is where ads are placed to interfere with my reading the front page. Usually I just rip them off.

This time my political antennae went up as I read the first part of President Ronald Reagan’s famous TV debate question:

“Are you better off now

Why would that be on the front page of the Tribune the day for President Barack Obama’s second Inauguration Ceremony?

As I turned the paper over, I read the rest of the question:

than you were 4 million years ago?”

Down at the bottom in much, much smaller type was “The Croods.”

Turns out it has nothing to do with Obama, but is promoting a movie called “The Croods” coming out on March 22nd.

The inside of the wrap around ad for the upcoming Dreamworks’ movie, “The Croods.”

Today’s Message of the Day is a Hobby Lobby newspaper ad.  It ran in both newspapers we subscribe to, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune.

Hobby Lobby wears its Christian leanings on its sleeve, so to speak.

Listen to the music in the stores and it’s inspirational.

And on Easter and Christmas in years in which the company has sufficient money, full page ads run in newspapers.

Here’s this Easter’s ad:

Hobby Lobby's 2012 Easter ad.

Hobby Lobby has a tradition of publishing newspaper ads on Easter Sunday. The store is closed every Sunday.

Hobby Lobby is an unabashed Christian store.
Christian songs are played on the craft store’s PA system.

On Easter it publishes full-page Christian ads. You see this year’s above.

The message was

HE DIED

WE LIVE

Click on the image and you probably can read the small print.

Romans 5:8-9 is quoted:

But God demonstrates His love toward us

in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Much more then, having been justified by his blood,

we shall be saved from wrath through him.

The Aurora Beacon-News was the first to complain about a bill that would eliminate some legal advertising.

Now, the Bloomington Pantagraph has taken up the drumbeat.

In response, Rich Miller at his Capitol Fax Blog floated an idea that should shivers of terror down the backs of newspaper owners and managers. Talking about special interests complaining about their government funding being cut, Miller writes:

And the newspapers aren’t being much of a help, either. Balance that budget, state and locals, but don’t eat into our gravy train…

At a time when public officials should be championing greater openness in government, a bill is pending in Springfield that would do away with requirements that Illinois fire protection districts print public notices in general circulation newspapers.

Instead, appropriation and penalty ordinances could be posted on a Web site.

The state ought to just open a website for all public notices in Illinois and charge everyone a fraction of what newspapers do. But that would eat too much into their cash flow, so it’ll never happen.

One reader commented on the Pantagraph editorial like this:

Chadwick Snow said on: April 7, 2010, 8:20 am

No, this has nothing to do with newspaper interest in advertising revenue generated through public notices.

I think a portion of the Pantagraph’s position is driven precisely by that motive.

Circulation of newspapers continue to decline. Public notices are extremely expensive. Advertisers are continually seeking other marketing strategies and pulling their resources from newspapers.

Why shouldn’t government institutions also use more creative means to communicate with the public.

Web-based notices, billboards and public service announcements are just a few alternative strategies.

Would the newspaper publishing industry be as enthused about public notices within their publications if they were required to devote free space to government or not-for-profit agencies – similar to FCC requirements – to publish their notices?

I doubt it.

One of things keeping small newspapers alive is legal advertising.

Think of the publication of real estate assessments. That’s the big one.

It was twenty cents a line way back when I knew such prices.

Now, a legislator has been bold enough to sponsor a bill to cut the size of such required ads for fire protection districts.

The Daily Herald reports such districts would no longer have to pay for the publication of ordinances.

Instead, a smaller ad would direct people to the fire protection district’s web site.

Could this be the beginning of a trend as the influence of newspapers declines?

= = = = =
It didn’t take long for a blow back to the legislation to appear.  The Joliet Beacon-News ran an editorial with this admission:

“And let’s make one other point about these legal notices, and it’s a point of self-interest.

“Financial problems in newspapers are well-documented. Without these legal notices, The Beacon-News would sustain a significant financial impact. In smaller cities, this loss of revenue may mean hometown newspapers may not survive.

“In those cases, the government taxing bodies would be free to spend your tax dollars free from the watchful eye of the press.”

As if newspapers are the only watchdog of local government.

And, it pointed out that McHenry County’s State Senator Pam Althoff and State Rep. Jack Franks were also sponsors.

A really irritating one.

OK. I shouldn’t complaint because I don’t subscribe to the Northwest Herald.

That’s a valid point of view.

But within the last week a translucent yellow ad has popped up as I go the NW Herald web site.

And yesterday a friend pointed me that way for an article by David Fitzgerald on how Carpentersville District 300 wasn’t balancing its check book while it was asking for a 55-cent real estate tax hike, plus scores of millions in borrowed money.

So I go the NW Herald’s web site.

Then this ad pops up.

Sure, one can close it, but it takes a click.

I’m asking too much, right.

Internet advertising is what is going to keep the NW Herald alive, even if circulation and print advertising doesn’t. but I’m not even going to click on the Foxfire Fest ad to find out where it is.

A really irritating one.

OK. I shouldn’t complaint because I don’t subscribe to the Northwest Herald.

That’s a valid point of view.

But within the last week a translucent yellow ad has popped up as I go the NW Herald web site.

And yesterday a friend pointed me that way for an article by David Fitzgerald on how Carpentersville District 300 wasn’t balancing its check book while it was asking for a 55-cent real estate tax hike, plus scores of millions in borrowed money.

So I go the NW Herald’s web site.

Then this ad pops up.

Sure, one can close it, but it takes a click.

I’m asking too much, right.

Internet advertising is what is going to keep the NW Herald alive, even if circulation and print advertising doesn’t. but I’m not even going to click on the Foxfire Fest ad to find out where it is.