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Star Tribune raises single-copy price to 75 cents outstate

By David Brauer | 01/26/09

Every little bit of revenue helps when you're in Chapter 11: The Star Tribune raised its single-copy price from 50 cents to 75 cents Monday. For now, the change only affects non-metro buyers; four bits will still get you a paper from a Twin Cities newsbox.

Frankly, the Strib has been behind the curve raising newsstand prices; as this Minnesota Monthly feature evidences, the price has been 50 cents for at least a decade. (My recollection is it goes back a lot further than that; awaiting a callback from the paper's circulation director.) Meanwhile, the L.A. Times, another bankrupt paper, did the 50-to-75-cents thing two weeks ago, as have struggling papers in Seattle. The New York Times has raised its price twice since 2007 and USA Today tacked on a quarter this fall.

This may give the Pioneer Press headroom to hike its single-copy rates; currently, the paper charges 25 cents in Ramsey, Washington and Dakota counties, and 50 cents everywhere else. (The PiPress has a more expansive definition of "outstate.") I've asked PiPress folks for comment and will update when I hear back.

In related news, my (unintentional) series of web traffic posts last week noted we didn't have December info for the amount of monthly time users spent at startribune.com. The Nielsen Net Ratings figures are in; while "time spent viewing" was down nationally, the Strib's soared, from 20 minutes per user in November to 32 minutes in December. This returns the Strib to its frequent place in the statistical stratosphere; it ranks second among the Top 30 newspaper sites, just a tick behind the New York Times (33:03) and a whopping 19 minutes ahead of the number-three Houston Chronicle.

Comments (7)

Submitted by Steve Pease on January 26, 2009 - 2:08pm.

My three quarters: The move will sell fewer papers. During my few convos with news readers says a quarter hike (like USA Today) only ticks people off. Maybe the extra quarter simply means more people will now go to the web. Ingenius?

Submitted by elizabeth farnsworth on January 26, 2009 - 2:28pm.

I don't think it is a big deal. Many outstate newspapers charge $1.

The coupons in the newspaper more than pay for it anyway.

Thank you so much for keeping us updated!

Submitted by Dan Kitzmann on January 26, 2009 - 2:32pm.

I cannot see how this price-raising strategy will work inasmuch as most of the broadsheets pursuing it are thinner and thinner with less and less content. They are asking customers to pay more for less. Great plan. Doubtless the Strib's bean counters ran the numbers in their models--then again, with their stellar track record would you trust them to run your own business?--but I have to believe the demand for a newspaper of diminishing quality is highly price elastic. That the rate hike is long overdo is irrelevant.

As a non-metro reader, I will not pay $0.75 a copy. Frankly, I do not count even $0.50 a good value anymore; to me, the NY Times at $1.50 is worth at least twice as much as the Strib--though given the Times' sick balance sheet, no doubt it will increasingly diminish its product as well.

Submitted by Jim Camery on January 26, 2009 - 2:49pm.

Has anyone ever bought a USA Today, other than by checking into a Hampton?

Submitted by elizabeth farnsworth on January 26, 2009 - 3:08pm.

I read the Strib, USAToday and Pioneer Press almost every day. The issue I have the the PP is it is so focused on the east metro (which makes sense). But to someone who lives in Hopkins, I like the Strib better.

I took out an old Strib from 1987 (I keep them from big news events and this one covered the big rainstorm from July 23rd that year). While it has far less columnists than 1987, there was about the same page count and mix of AP wire stories to Strib writers. I did notice a lot more classified advertisements in the 1987 newspaper than today. I don't see a radical difference to be honest. It is amazing how many retail stores are no longer here.

Submitted by Jeff Klein on January 27, 2009 - 10:22am.

My anecdotal experience is this won't sell less papers. If I buy a paper outstate, it's because I'm traveling, I'm in a car, I'm bored, we stop at a gas station, and it wouldn't really matter if it were $1.50 because I'm buying a $2 bottle of pop anyways.

In general, I think buying a paper is an act of desperation. It means you don't have a subscription or internet access and you need something to read. I don't think it matters if it's $.50 or $.75.

Submitted by chuck turchick on February 3, 2009 - 6:23pm.

So, demand goes down, and price goes...up? I knew I should've paid attention in that economics class!