Missourian won't go online-only

By Allie Blood

Published Sept. 14, 2008

The Missourian Publishing Association Board met Tuesday and decided an all-digital or three-day-a-week business model for the Columbia Missourian is off the table.

Proposals such as an all-digital model are no longer under consideration because of a lack of support.

"All our constituencies won't stand for it," Missourian General Manager Dan Potter said.

For fiscal year 2008, the Missourian had a $95,000 deficit. This was not the first year the Missourian failed to make a profit, and Provost Brian Foster red-flagged the newspaper as a possible venue for cutting costs. Now, the paper is looking at alternative publishing models, including a "partner" model. Under this new model, a larger paper would financially support printing the Missourian's papers, while Missourian advertising profits would go to the partner.

Potter said he believes advertising will increase under this new system. The current proposal would shift distribution to the campuses of MU, Stephens College and Columbia College, cutting city distribution to about 2,000 and eliminating home delivery.

Foster said though the Missourian is an important part of the School of Journalism and MU as a whole, there is a limit to the amount of funding the university can allocate to it. According to the fiscal year 2008 budget, MU gave the Missourian more than $1 million that year.

Potter said the paper will draft a proposal in about a month. This proposal will ask for any paper that wants to bid to be the Missourian's partner to make an offer.

"It will be out in the open for 30 days or longer I think," Potter said.

Missourian Executive Editor Tom Warhover said the mission of the Missourian is three-fold: to provide news for Columbia and mid-Missouri, to serve as a laboratory for students to learn journalism and to explore innovative avenues in journalism.

He said though an all-digital model might be innovative, MU is not ready to make such a transition.