Pekin Times moving to morning, causes scheduling nightmare for entire staff (UPDATED)

December 8, 2009
By Billy Dennis

A reliable source tells me that GateHouse Media officials stunned the staff of the Pekin Daily Times this morning with an announcement that the afternoon newspaper is moving to morning-only.

This means every employee at the paper will have to adjust their work schedules. Also, deadlines for the morning paper will be in the late evening.

And since the Pekin newspaper is printed on the Peoria Journal Star printing press in Peoria, one of these two morning papers will have to have a deadline hours earlier than the other.

I’m guessing Pekin will get stuck with earlier deadlines.

This is bad news for news consumers, in that the news they are reading will be a half-day old. An afternoon newspaper can get stories into print on on readers’ porches a few hours after they have been written.

I’m not sure how GateHouse expects to save money here. But I’m sure the bean counters think they can use this to somehow eliminate jobs.

UPDATE: Reflections of a Newsosaur reflects on the decline of afternoon newspapers.

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7 Responses to “ Pekin Times moving to morning, causes scheduling nightmare for entire staff (UPDATED) ”

  1. 11bravo on December 8, 2009 at 12:56 pm

    Well of course they can eliminate jobs, who needs two daily morning papers if you live the Pekin area? A lot of people (at least used to) subscribe to both , but now there is no point.

  2. Pekinite on December 8, 2009 at 4:21 pm

    amen 11 bravo. If they go to a morning paper, I’ll just cancel the Pekin Times. I already get the “ever so small” Journal Star. Don’t need two from the same place with essentially the same news. Thanks Gateway!

  3. Freddy on December 8, 2009 at 5:49 pm

    if you rely on the PJStar for Pekin coverage you will be completely undeserved. They used to have a reporter dedicated to Pekin/Tazewell Co., not anymore. The Pekin Times has a staff that works on nothing but Tazewell and Mason county. The Journal will pick up the occasional Times article, but only the very biggest stories. Any other important news in Pekin is not found in the PJStar.

  4. gum on December 9, 2009 at 4:21 pm

    There go my pre- and post- work rituals. I look forward to reading the latest breaking news in the Pekin Times. Well, at least later than the PJS. I enjoy both papers. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t subscribe to them. (And, I’ll admit it, I LIKE THE FEEL OF REAL PAPER IN MY HANDS WHEN I READ. Is that so wrong?) The whole point to subscribing to both is getting an entire day’s worth of news. And, really, would the PJS condescend to printing Agri-news? Only in the Pekin Times can one read what’s happening down on the farm a page before nationally syndicated editorials. The Pekin Times afternoon edition DOES MATTER. Is this the madness that occurs when everyone stops drinking tap water?

    Like my morning cup of coffee, I’m hooked on both papers. I’m a little old-fashioned, I guess….

  5. Anom120909 on December 9, 2009 at 6:09 pm

    NOT a factor in this Pekin home.

  6. darlene gray on February 4, 2010 at 5:30 pm

    Anom. I feel for the newspaper carriers. It is hard enough to deliver
    in bad weather and ice when you can see it but how will it be when
    someone has a large route, what time will they have to start. I can't
    believe they are moving to mornings. Like so many, if you get the
    journal why get the Times or vice-versa. Doesn't make sense to me
    especially in this economy.

  7. Guest on March 2, 2010 at 2:05 am

    It's the same news in the Pekin Daily Times as ever, but in the morning, not in the afternoon. So it's fresher. Read it in the afternoon if you want.