For the past 61 years the East St. Louis Monitor newspaper has provided its African American readers with a sense of relevance; from the local church announcements, to graduations, births, deaths, political news, celebrations of the City of Champions’ sports heroism, to lauding local “socialites” and organizations of note.
So, it came as quite a shock, to some, when the paper unceremoniously announced, on social media, that it had “permanently closed”; going on to say that “the current business climate has not made it financially sustainable to continue”.
It’s been a poorly kept secret that due to those financial struggles, common in today’s newspaper business, that The Monitor has struggled to attract advertising dollars and, at one point, the owners had attempted to sell the paper, but to no avail.
But, even more amazing, after a mere two weeks of being ‘closed’, The Monitor, just as unceremoniously, resurfaced with a new edition and “Thank You” to its readers, announcing that “After careful consideration…The East St. Louis Monitor Newspaper has decided to reopen…”
Locally, the Riverfront Times, in spite of having considerable advertising dollars, had to throw in the towel, selling the paper after a 46-year run. It’s a tough business and even tougher for a black weekly like The Monitor that lacks advertising and relies upon weekly sales of its 4,000 print copies just to survive.
This is particularly daunting in an era where young readers consume their news digitally versus in print form.
But, even more amazing, after a mere two weeks of being ‘closed’, The Monitor, just as unceremoniously, resurfaced with a new edition and “Thank You” to its readers, announcing that “After careful consideration…The East St. Louis Monitor Newspaper has decided to reopen…and are extremely grateful for the overwhelming support the community has given us…”
That “support” came in the form of outcry from senior citizens who were saddened at the sudden loss of their primary news source, politicians whose outlet for friendly publicity would have been lost, local advertisers who would have been without a platform, and the locally prominent who would have been irrelevant without The Monitor to showcase their stature.
The problem with some of this support is that it is seasonal, in terms of political ads, sporadic, according to sources, in terms of advertising dollars that were owed to The Monitor by some of the very individuals who “guilted” them into re-opening.
And I wish The Monitor well. The genesis of my interest in news was as a paper carrier for the now defunct Metro-East Journal. The Monitor was my first gig as a weekly op-ed columnist. The owners are good, decent people with a sense of community.
However, if the Monitor is going to remain open it must change its business model. In short, no advertising on credit or simply because an individual holds a position of power and influence.
Newspapers are, first and foremost, a business that cannot be sustained by nostalgia, sentimentality, black pride and dedication to the community alone. There must be consistent and increased advertising dollars poured into the publication, more subscribers and a viable virtual presence. Otherwise, it will close again and possibly for the final time.
Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com X@JamesTIngram
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