Communication Prof. Burns comments on newsweekly business in Detroit...
Crain's Detroit Business
"Metro Times can't avoid mainstream media woes"
by Bill Shea
Detroit's daily newspapers are not the only local print media outlets struggling financially because of dwindling ad dollars and reduced distribution. The weekly Metro Times alternative newspaper, a staple of Detroit's entertainment scene and known for its issues and culture reporting, has shrunk its distribution area and has almost half as many copies on the street as it did at the turn of the century. Some of Metro Times' potential revenue is diluted because of competition. Royal Oak-based Real Detroit Weekly was launched in 1999 as primarily a nightlife entertainment guide -- stories, listings and ads about concerts, bars, bands, eateries, art, fashion, etc. -- rather than a traditional largely left-leaning alternative news outlet. "I don't think most cities can afford two of them," said Ben Burns, director of the journalism program at Wayne State University since 1993 and a former executive editor at The Detroit News. "The collection rate on those entertainment ads historically in the news business is dreadful. You can get the ads, but collecting the bill is something else. They don't pay for them. It's the worst category I can think of in terms of advertising non-payment."