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Show Technology Changes Newspapers New technology and the rapidly increasing costs of basic materials to the newspaper industry, such as paper and ink, are having a profound effect on the way small newspapers are doing business, stated Mark G. Fuellenbach, newly elected president of the Utah Press Assn, Fuellenbach said that with the advent of cable television and other innovations in production technology, the former "mom and pop" method of operating a weekly newspaper is pretty well down the drain. Fuellenbach, publisher of The Richfield Reaper, The Salina Sun, Garfield County News and Gunnison Valley News, also said that small newspaper chains which place a greater emphasis on efficiency and a higher productivity are replacing the old, longtime accepted methods of weekly newspaper production. Prior to being named president, Fuellenbach was serving as vice president of UPA. He had previously served as secretary, treasurer and a member of the board of directors. UPA is made up of weekly and semi- Mark Fuellenbach, publisher of four southern Utah weekly newspapers, holds traveling plaque which will hang in his office during lenure as president of Utah Press Association during 1981. weekly newspapers from throughout Utah. Fuellenbach has been publisher of The Richfield Reaper since 1977 and co-publisher of Garfield County News since 1974. In December, 1980, with the acquisition of The Salina Sun and Gunnison Valley News, he became their publisher also. He has been associated with The Reaper for the past 10 years, working as advertising manager until the death of his father, Norman J. Fuellenbach, who was publisher in November, 1977. Citing his own case, with four newspapers being published in one plant instead of four, Fuellenbach indicated that this trend is evidenced throughout the state. Where there are now 50 weekly and semi-weekly papers, there are only 36 publishers, showing the trend to one publisher owning and or operating more than one newspaper. Currently, there are about three-quarters of the newspapers in the Utah Press Assn. which belong to a chain. Ten years ago there were a lot more publishers than there are today. One of the other major changes in the past 10 years in the industry is the widespread use of offset printing and the accessibility of more sophisticated typesetting equipment, he said. While $30,000 will purchase a typesetting machine today which will set up to 1,000 lines of type a minute and hike productivity, the increased costs in ink and paper are offsetting that bargain, Fuellenbach stated. Table television operations which can provide local news coverage is a concern of the association. He predicted that someday, if prices continue to skyrocket, newsprint will be so expensive that the electronic media will be so advanced that people will turn on the TV to read the newspaper, he said. |
