Pulitzers Not Prized In Newspaper Buying Decisions

The Pulitzer Prizes are closely watched by people in the newspaper industry, but they apparently make little difference to the people who decide how many advertising dollars get placed in daily newspapers. As a result, The Los Angeles Times on Monday walked away with lots of news industry bragging rights, winning an impressive five Pulitzers, but not much in the way of prestige on Madison Avenue. In fact, many in the media planning community shrugged at the awards, saying that they do not affect their decision- making, while several pointed to larger problems in the newspaper industry.

"I don't think it's a key factor in selecting newspapers," said Bill Bradley, group media director at Optimedia. "It's really the usual suspects that win Pulitzers."

The Los Angeles Times' bounty came second only to seven The New York Times won in 2002, including awards for national reporting and editorial writing. The Wall Street Journal claimed two, while The New York Times won just a single award for the second straight year, although this time in the esteemed public service category.

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But unlike magazines, in which planners pit one publication against another in judging quality, newspaper buying tends to be focused on markets with a limited number of options.

"In this space specifically, so many of the decisions are market-driven," said Ben Jankowski, senior vice president-group account director at MPG. "Few decisions are made to add or subtract papers to a plan based on awards."

Ryndee Carney, manager of marketing communications at General Motors Mediaworks, echoed that approach. "We base decisions on what our needs are in local markets," she said. "Then we select the largest circulation and the best newspapers. Pulitzers don't have an impact."

The announcement of the awards comes during a year when the newspaper business continues to absorb blows to its credibility. In fact, some believe the relatively poor performance of The New York Times in this year's Pulitzers may have been the result of the backlash surrounding Jayson Blair, a former Times reporter who was fired after fabricating a story in the paper and who is currently promoting his own version of that story in his book "Burning Down My Masters' House." The work of one-time I>USA Today star reporter Jack Kelley has also been discredited.

Many in the planning community believe that the industry's reputation has a ways to go toward recovery. "The business has definitely lost some luster when high-profile papers go through scandal," Bradley of Optimedia said.

"Advertisers are starting to think twice in general," said Maggie Connors, vice president and group media director at Foote Cone & Belding. Connors also pointed to allegations that Long Island's Newsday artificially inflated circulation numbers as "yet another reason not to advertise in newspapers."

Others believe that various industry scandals should be viewed as isolated incidents. "I have not had one client come to me, that in light of what is going on and say that it has turned them off from newspaper," MPG's Jankowski said.

FCB's Connors, who works for a brand-conscious health care client, was among those who valued the cachet of Pulitzers when making planning decisions. "It definitely adds to the credibility from an editorial standpoint," she said. "It's a reason to advertise in the Wall Street Journal if you have a choice between them and The New York Times."

Jim Donohue, vice president-associate media director at MediaVest, was happy to see The New York Times among the list of winners. "It shows that it's a complex issue," he said. "They still have great reporting." Donahue said he believes that Pulitzers help strengthen the argument for using newspapers in general.

In the end, however, it appears that readership indicators, such as circulation growth, will be the determining factor for most planners rather than awards.

"The real impact will be if you start to see circulation drops," Optimedia's Bradley said.

FCB's Connors agreed. "If the reader is there, and you don't see them abandoning--that is what matters."

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