Freetime's Output Analysis

The Free Times Output Analysis

The Free Times is Columbia's number one alternative newspaper. From analyzing the paper's output, it is not hard to see why they have been so successful. Started in 1984, the paper now distributes 40,000 issues every week over the greater Columbia area. In particular, they cater to these territories: Five Points, The Vista, Downtown, Lake Murray, North East Columbia, Clemson Road and Lexington. Readers from these districts can be reached from 799 different locations. These locations utilize the Free Time's purple boxes and black metal racks as well as coffee-house and national chain displays to maximize the paper's accessibility. An electronic copy of the paper is sent to a printing press in Fayetteville North Carolina every Tuesday and is ready to be distributed by Wednesday morning. This printing press is one of the most advanced on the east coast and can meet all of the Free Time's needs efficiently and effectively. The papers are delivered to independently subcontracted distributors who are responsible for every location within their particular territory. Each location is left with a particular number of copies while left over issues from the previous week are counted and collected. This data is stored and used in conjunction with the results of the yearly Readership Media Audit to measure effectiveness and readership. Circulation is adjusted as needed based on analysis of this information. Currently they reach about 135,500 readers a year, which is about 30% of the market. Currently the Free Times is experiencing steady growth in relation to Columbia's increasing population. Their advertising revenues are at an all time high and have even broken several records this year.

As a relatively small organization, Free Times has a limited amount of expenses. The cost of printing 40,000 copies every week and paying employees are their biggest expenses. Employment includes twenty-two full-time employees, nine to twelve part-time subcontracted drivers and distributors, and close to thirty contributing freelancers and various nationally syndicated columnists. This is followed by the lease and other office related and operational expenses (electric and Internet bills, computer costs, etc). They have to take in consideration cost of the Readership Media Audit and also the up-keep and maintenance of their distribution locations. Because of the nature of this organization, these expenses are paid for by advertisements. It is their only revenue.

The general size and scope of the Free Times depends on a few key aspects within their business environment. The size of the actual paper is dictated by the relationship between the number of employees, the number of advertisements and the present circulation of the paper. As the business grows and more issues are printed each week, the demand for advertisements will also increase. Because the Free Times divides their paper equally between editorials and advertisements, for them to host more ads they will have to hire more employees. Their production rate thus limits the amount of advertisements that they can acquire. It is a balancing act between these circumstances.

According to Eric Hancock, publisher of the Free Times, the average size of the paper is around seventy pages. This number fluctuates given the season. Winter and summer issues are shorter while spring and fall issues are longer. This is due to the number of college students that leave Columbia during those times. On average, this leaves room for about thirty-five pages of advertisements and thirty-five pages of editorial. This equates to 120-150 advertisements in each issue. The advertisements are separated into two categories; retail/display ads, and classifieds. There are usually around ten pages of classified ads and one page of personals; which leaves retail and display ads in the vast majority. Five advertising representatives are employed for display ads and three ad reps are employed for the classifieds. The Free Times has the in-house capability to produce advertisements for organizations, or can display ads which are produced by these organizations. Because this paper caters to the local community, advertising is concentrated mainly on local business. 80% to 90% of their advertising revenue comes from these locally owned businesses, not from corporate or national retail chains.

The newspaper's editorial content comes from a mixture of staff writers and syndicated contributors. It covers broad national issues as well as detailed accounts of local news. As explained by Eric Hancock: "From an editorial perspective, we try to approach all of our news coverage on a local level. There are very little national news stories, unless it is a national topic that can be localized." The paper is formatted into four broad portions. "News and Opinion" touches on current national and local issues in the news and gives readers, staff writers and contributors a chance to publish their thoughts. "Arts and Culture" focuses on cultural events in the local community and includes a section on food and a section on media, movies and music. "The lighter side" includes personal ads, news of the weird, astrology, comics, sudoku and crosswords puzzles. The last segment of the paper is reserved for classified ads. The editorial content of the Free Times can help illustrate their demographics. First and foremost this paper is produced for the local community. It caters to college students, young professionals, and anyone interested in Columbia's current events. It provides readers who are looking for specific information with an entertaining alternative to corporate newspapers. Eric Hancock expressed that there is an underground need for information other than from big papers; the Free Times fills this need for Columbia's community.

The "News and Opinion" portion is usually divided into seven parts and begins with the "Sound Off". This section gives readers an opportunity to speak their minds. One page long, this section can be used to address current issues or respond to previous editorial content. This section is followed by the "Crime Blotter". The "Crime Blotter" puts a humorous spin on some interesting local police reports. The "Government" section focuses on national and local issues in government and politics that affect the surrounding community. It is written by members of the full time staff, as are the next two sections. "Growth and Development" covers business and population expansion in the greater Columbia area. A section called "USC and Higher Education" addresses issues relating to college news. "From the Right" is a section