craigdailypress.com

Buff_bronc_fan (Anonymous) says…

Thank you, Bryce, I appreciate the follow through and your continued willingness to answer questions in the face of much criticism. You have my word that I will purchase a subscription in October once those changes are in place. Keep up the good work.

Buff_bronc_fan (Anonymous) says…

 Bryce,

About a month ago I expressed an interest in getting a digital subscription once some of the more intrusive ads on the site were cleaned up. You informed me that there would be some changes made. I notice you still have video ads on the site. I'm just wondering if you have any additional changes planned or if you're able to provide an update on the changes already implemented (if any). Thank you.

Buff_bronc_fan (Anonymous) says…

Bryce, to me it's not so much about the mere presence of advertisements, but the intrusive nature of the advertisements on your site. Full screen pop-ups, automatic videos, ads that play sound that cannot be turned off. They all detract significantly from the user experience. I have frustratedly exited your site a number of times because I simply could not tolerate the McDonalds “whistle” being played over and over and over again.

I think it's important for you to understand that not all advertisements are alike.

Buff_bronc_fan (Anonymous) says…

Great rebuttal, Lisa.

Ms. Plantiko showed a lack of class and understanding with her letter, in my humble opinion. If she had complaints, those should have been taken directly to Parks & Rec. The fact that she chose to grandstand in the CDP about being treated “unfairly” is indicative of a victim mentality and a terrible example to set, especially in regard to a youth softball tournament.

I hope those who are complaining the loudest are actively working towards solutions instead of just pointing fingers in a very public venue.

Buff_bronc_fan (Anonymous) says…

If it was a life threatening trauma instead of a broken bone you might be singing a different tune.

Buff_bronc_fan (Anonymous) says…

How do you on one hand complain about it being too competitive? And then on the other hand complain about how the bracket was set up?

Sounds like complaining for the sake of complaining to me.

Buff_bronc_fan (Anonymous) says…

David, I don't think it's the right move either, for what it's worth…

But some of the posts here are ridiculous. Like the sob stories about how people can no longer keep up on the news from afar. If the news is that valuable to you, pay the measly $35 - it's not a bad value proposition for an entire year's subscription relative to how much everything else costs in the real world.

Furthermore, people like “whispering_rain” actually make the CDP's case for them. This is virtually the only detailed news outlet in NW Colorado. If there were 3 local TV stations offering free news, then the CDP would probably have a harder time competing with a paid service. But they have cornered the news market - so I can hardly blame them for wanting to extract more value out of said market.

Why do you think the world's savviest investor Warren Buffet bought his hometown Omaha newspaper when print media is dying? Because he believes newspapers in smaller communities that offer news which isn't available anywhere else are still good value propositions.

I've got a soft spot for the media because it's such a thankless, low-paying job. The comments in this section prove that.

Buff_bronc_fan (Anonymous) says…

Some of the outrage in this thread is misplaced. None of us are owed free news. I'd much prefer free content as well, but just because you've become accustomed to getting it free doesn't make it a birth right. It's hard to blame them considering how hard it is to turn a profit with print media and given their unique position as one of the very few news outlets in Moffat County.

The bigger issue here is that I think the CDP jumped the gun implementing their paid policy. I don't mean to beat a dead horse as Bryce has already responded to my post - but the one thing you won't find at all of these other paid-subscription newspapers that he references are a bunch of pop-up and video ads.

From a marketing perspective, you might have been better served to try some sort of promotional feature like “No Ads, Receive 10% subscription price” to get a little more traction during the roll out of this new policy.

In any case, I don't begrudge journalists for trying to get paid like every other industry does - but would like to see some steps to truly make this premium content.

Buff_bronc_fan (Anonymous) says…

I have no problem with the paper trying to add some revenue - I obviously find the content valuable enough to visit frequently. My issue is that your website is chalk full annoying ads. If you remove all of the ads and make the site more navigable, I will buy a digital subscription. But I refuse to pay for premium content when I get hit with pop-up and automatic video ads every time I click to a different section of the site.

Buff_bronc_fan (Anonymous) says…

Certain exemptions: “…bonfires for religious ceremonies.”

This seems like a great loophole I would have liked to exploit back in my carefree youth. Hear that kids? Just make sure you bring a bible to the camp fire this summer.