The Star-Advertiser’s woes with its expensive, high-tech printing plant just seem to be going on and on.
This must be a huge blow. The computerized printing operation was built by Gannett for more than $75 million, and was a prize part of the buyout and merger with the old Star-Bulletin.
But, it turns out, there “high tech” can be too high.
At first, the problem was treated in low key fashion.
Here’s the first notice: “”Because of production delays, this morning’s Star-Advertiser will be delivered later than normal and will be a partial edition in certain areas.”
A reader emailed to say that his “partial edition” lacked a front page.
Early Monday morning, a follow-up explanation posted by Frank Bridgewater said that the problems were expected to persist on “subsequent days…until the press problems are resolved.”
And much of Monday’s paper, such as it was, came from the company’s press on the Big Island.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser was unable to print most complete copies of the Sunday edition because of problems with the computers that operate the printing press.
Monday’s paper is smaller than our usual papers, and subsequent days also will have fewer pages until the press problems are resolved. These papers will not include some features that normally appear. Monday’s paper was printed on the West Hawaii Today press on Hawaii island.
Bridgewater’s note also said the full newspaper would be available online.
But yesterday I received this email from a reader describing his experience.
So like everyone else yesterday (Sunday) I only received 1/2 the paper, but I went on line and had the whole edition.
Today (Monday) I received the abbreviated version along with the rest of Sunday’s paper. So I go online, using the papers app, and all I see is what was delivered. So I call the paper and after a 5 minute wait talk to some guy who’s out at the press. He tell’s me that’s all there is, period. I ask him why not the whole paper on line? And I get the same answer. Nothing more was produced-everyone gets the same thing. I don’t get mad at this guy because obviously he’s not the one calling the shots.
Then this:
Issues with the Kapolei press limited its production capability, so Sunday and Monday Star-Advertisers also were printed on Maui and the Big Island. Newspapers from the neighbor islands did not arrive on Oahu until 8 a.m. after their delivery was interrupted when they were grounded due to the storm. The Maui flight carried 40,000 Sunday papers, which will be delivered to subscribers Tuesday who did not receive complete papers Sunday, and the flight from Hawaii Island had Monday Star-Advertisers.
Then, according to KHON on Monday evening, it’s looking like the problems are far from over.
Here’s part of their story.
Officials at the Star-Advertiser say this problem has cost them half a million dollars.
Kennedy said they spent hours on the phone with the machine’s manufacturer in Germany, but didn’t get the problem fixed, so they’re hoping to fly in an expert from Australia to help.
“We’re going to be okay until we have to print Sunday,” he said. “We’ll have to see how it goes. Hopefully, we can get everything up and running,”
Kennedy couldn’t give any guarantee that the upcoming Sunday edition will come out as usual. There are also issues if this week’s edition of Midweek, another property of Oahu Publications, will be printed this week.
The newspaper also prints Midweek, and I learned officials don’t know how they will handle that this week.
It’s hard to imagine the havoc this is wreaking with their business operations, which will have to account for ads not run, newspapers not delivered, etc., etc. And how about the private jobs the high capacity press was also contracted to churn out?
And if the press guy’s statement above was correct, the staff that would normally be churning out a full newspaper daily are not, well, not doing that.
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excellent question, zzzzzz
Maybe Pierre Omidyar should invest his money into making Honolulu a two newspaper town again. Safe to say that such a move will generate appreciation from locals, rather than the grief and consternation he’s now getting for his dairy farm on Kaua’i.
yes, Pierre should partner with Oracle’s Larry Ellison. if Larry can handle giving up a yacht. might be too stressful on him.
Wait, Omidyar is getting grief for a dairy farm on Kauai? I must have missed that story on Civil Beat.
Ummmm….100.000 subscribers expect their paper according to Perry and Price this morning between 4am and 6am. 100,000 callers many calling multiple times would probably overwhelm just about any system there is. I received an email blast about the problem and so did my mother who rarely even turns her desktop on. She did try the replica on Sunday for the first time and liked it. She’s nearly 80 so I was impressed she figured it all out herself.
Cool it people. I had an immediate recorded response to a call Sunday morning that there was a problem and would likely get a partial paper. This is not the end of the world. I read most of my news on the web anyway. I did get Insight, which I want.
And today, I received Today, with my morning puzzles. Boy, are we spoiled.
to zzz and t:
that old URL for MidWeek columns no longer operative. at the midweek.com site you have to click on current cover (right hand side of page) then click thru pages, like turning the actual pages of MidWeek, to get to the various columns. As a Mainland reader of my columns said: “forget about it, too difficult.”
@ Whachacall … no special deals here. I am sitting here looking at a dead-tree letter on SA letterhead, over the signature of Aaron J. Kotarek, vice president of circulation.
The pertinent paragraph reads: “We value your business and thank you for making the Honolulu Star-Advertiser a part of your daily life. As an EZPay customer your automatic renewal will be increased to $10.40 beginning with your next renewal. If you have questions, please call customer service at (808) 538-6397 or email [address redacted b/c of bots].
to bob,
that’s terrible. midweek.com’s online formatting is horribly outdated. imagine if Amazon.com tried the same format. they wouldn’t. sales would die.
if your readers try to read you online, it means they want to read you online, not in print. you’ve not only lost nonprint readers with the midweek.com format but your columns can’t be shared online either. that’s a serious mistake. no social media for you.
i wonder if this is midweek’s basic defense of its weak online format: “Readers need to see our expensive print ads or we go bye bye”
Bob Jones, any thought to creating your own website, and post your columns there? Perhaps Ian would put it on his blogroll.
I enjoy your columns, but read them on dead trees.
Hmmmm . . . flying in an expert to fix? Sounds like the zipmobile experience . . .