The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel is discontinuing its second edition, effective November 21.
"We've decided to divert the resources from the second edition to updating our website and enhancing the daily print edition," said executive editor Linda Austin. "Print is not a breaking-news medium. The Internet is."
The News-Sentinel, which is owned by Knight Ridder, currently publishes two editions. The first has a copy deadline of 8:30 am and the starts to roll off the presses around 10:30 am. The second edition's press run follows after the first edition has been printed, and those running the presses can "replate" -- stop the press and switch Page One plates for breaking stories -- until approximately 1:00 pm.
The first edition is what you'll find in curbside vending machines and in the outlying areas. Most home subscribers in Allen County currently receive the second edition. Often there is little difference between the two.
"We don't see the value of recreating the same content," said Austin.
In a follow-up interview on yesterday's story about the News-Sentinel dropping its second edition, executive editor Linda Austin confirmed that the first edition copy deadline will remain at 8:30 a.m. "We have and will continue to push that deadline for breaking news," she noted.
She also elaborated on why the News-Sentinel made the change. "With the advent of so many other media that provide instant news, the value of recreating the print product over and over again and then delivering it hours after the fact is diminished."
Austin also told me the News-Sentinel is not considering discontinuing its Saturday edition at this time.
TRACKBACK: Knight Ridder Watch picks up my original item
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