by Geoffrey Churchman

This article last week in the NZ Herald states that, and it’s just one of 14 such local free newspapers that NZME is closing. The last issue is before Christmas, either 11 December or 18 December.

Our editorial group has discussed this as you would expect.

The cessation is a real shame as Kapiti News has provided social news about local people and groups, and happenings such as events and volunteer projects that we don’t and neither does social media very much. The most important aspect of Kapiti News is that it has reached people who aren’t on the interweb, or if they are, don’t make much use of it and that category consists mostly of the elderly who are a sizeable percentage of the Waikanae and Paraparaumu population.

There has been a problem with Kapiti News and, we expect, the others — distribution. There have been constant allegations of short runs, and Iride, for example, says she hasn’t received it for a very long time. For quite a long time our household didn’t either and delivery only resumed a few months ago. NZME is quite measly in what it has offered boys and girls to deliver it; apparently only 2 cents per copy. I can remember in 1970 I got 1 cent per copy for delivering the Norwester in Wellington — adjusted for inflation that is 20 cents today. The result has been short runs because of the delivery issues, although it has saved NZME printing costs too.

So, does Kapiti News make money? Editor David Haxton has told both me and Roger Childs separately that it does well, but others are dubious, and NZME’s decision to close it strongly indicates that it is not profitable. It has a staff of 7 we are told, although that number will include sales and production people; the editorial staff is just two. But if 7 people are required for the whole shebang, then straight away there is a weekly wage bill of maybe $12,000 before other overheads are added.

Iride estimates that about 20% of KN‘s revenue comes from KCDC, about 30% from real estate agents and the rest from a whole range of trade and commerce. In the last financial year KCDC spent $140,000 with Kapiti News (see the Official Information response) and if that is 20% of revenue then it means a total of $700,000 of which is most absorbed by the staff cost.

While a lot of advertising would come from regular advertisers, not all of it would and advertising sellers have to try to find it. That sounds like, and is, hard work.

Politically, like KC News, it has generally avoided controversial subjects, or if it has covered them, has treated them in a neutral fashion. WW, as readers know, is unafraid to talk about them, and indeed the major raison d’etre for the last 5 years has been to provide a source of news about, and a voice for those opposed to things that politicians, both KCDC and in Parliament decide. I don’t know what the local radio stations in Kapiti are like on that as I rarely listen to them.

There are two other print newspapers in Kapiti, both in Otaki. The difference is that they are monthly. From what we are told, they only print about 3,000 copies for the 5,500 households in the Otaki Council Ward. Even with that restricted circulation we are told they just break even, and profit isn’t the motivation behind them.

WW is not interested in going to a printed format to take over any of KN‘s catchment, and for the time being there won’t be any changes, but taking up some of the void for local advertisers is something that will be looked at next year.