Review’s business model remodeled
By Jewish Review
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The Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, which has contracted with Community Newspapers, Inc., of Portland for the past 14 years to produce the Jewish Review, notified CNI in December of its intention not to renew their contract.
The federation, which has published the Review since its founding in 1959, and CNI partnered in 1993 to produce the newspaper, which was facing financial challenges at the time.
Under the agreement forged then, CNI took over the business of selling advertising space in the Jewish Review, the revenue from which accrued to CNI.
In return for this, CNI not only maintained sales staff for the Review, but also printed and mailed the paper at no cost to the federation.
“Community Newspapers was able to step in with their experience and know-how and help us at a time when the business side of the paper was sailing in troubled waters,” said JFGP Executive Vice President Charles R. Schiffman. “That new partnership immediately solved our problem and the ensuing 14 years of working together has been very satisfying.”
Going forward, CNI will continue to print and mail the Review, but advertising sales will be returned to the Jewish Review over a six-month transition period that will end on June 30.
“It was strictly a business decision,” said Schiffman. “Like everything, our cost of producing the newspaper goes up every year. When we examined the revenue potential of the paper today, it was clear that the time had come to create our own professional sales function alongside the editorial function.”
Jewish Review Editor Paul Haist, with help from the Jewish Review Committee and other federation leadership, drafted a business plan that won the unanimous endorsement of the JFGP Governing Board in November.
During the next three months, the Review will conduct a search for an experienced, full-time advertising sales representative, while also creating the infrastructure for that person.
The sales representative should join the staff in early April. Facilities for the sales operation are being prepared in the existing Jewish Review office.
The change is taking place at the same time that the Review is implementing a related plan to increase its range of coverage (see story on this page). Using funds provided by the Judith and Edwin Cohen Foundation of Vestal, N.Y., the paper will gradually add six new areas of regular coverage.
“We’re doing this for two reasons, each as important as the other,” said Haist. “The federation created the Review to provide for an informed Jewish community; expanding our coverage helps do that. It also helps to attract new readers and new advertisers. The more readers we have, the more advertisers we’ll attract. The more advertisers we attract, the more space there will be in the paper for news and feature stories. Each column inch of advertising generates a column inch of space for stories.”
Schiffman expressed his gratitude for the service provided by Community Newspapers.
“It’s been a long and satisfying partnership. We wouldn’t change it except that we have a responsibility to the Jewish community to manage our resources as best we can. The time has come for us to make the Review a revenue center.”
Haist expressed similar sentiments.
“Working with the people at Community Newspapers has been a pleasure all these years,” he said. “They’re professionals who helped us make the Jewish Review better with every new edition.”