Advertisments make front page news

By Dana Ehlschide
News Bureau Director

Showing off the newest vehicles the local car dealership has on the lot, revealing the day's lottery numbers or detailing upcoming local events are just some of the ways clients are utilizing front-page advertising spots now being offered by a handful of Kentucky newspapers.

The Murray Ledger & Times' redesign unveiled Feb. 1, 2001 had accommodated for front-page advertising spaces. The paper's owners had tried it with their other newspapers with success and wanted to see if it would also succeed in Murray, said Slone Hutchison, ad manager for the Murray Ledger & Times.

Hutchison said the idea of front-page advertising wasn't just a vehicle for increasing advertising revenue, but a way of providing advertisers one more option in ad placement.

"You know how people bring ads in and jokingly say, 'put this on the front page?' Now we can," she said. "It is also a nice addition to the newspaper and provides another art element for the front page."

The Appalachian News-Express began its front-page advertising over five years ago, and according to Publisher Marty Backus, the idea met some opposition with the tri-weekly's editorial staff. Over the years however, the staff has become more "acceptive" of the idea.

The "prime spots" Hutchison said are the top advertisements that appear by the paper's flag.

"These are very successful. Advertisers sometimes schedule them to run a month at a time," Hutchison said.

The top spots also provide advertisers a way to be exposed to people who don't even purchase the paper.

"In those spots people can see the ads from the news rack," she said. "More people are exposed to those ads than any other spot in the paper."

Backus said the premium spots on his newspaper run on the "ears" (the top two corners) of the paper. Local funeral homes run in a bottom more inexpensive box on the front page which lists the names of those whose obits run in entirety inside.

Backus agrees with Hutchison as to why the top spots are popular with advertisers.

"They are so visible," he said. "Whether it is lying on a counter or on the newsstand, it can be seen."

The feedback from advertisers and readers has been positive in both Pikeville and Murray.

"We have had no complaints. I think the ads stand out enough that readers know what is an ad and what is a story," Hutchison said. "There has always been a good response especially during the election. There were candidates fighting for the spots."

There has never been a frantic search for advertisers for the spots in either paper. In fact, several of Hutchinson's advertisers have given her the "go-ahead" to run their ads in one of the spots if they come open.

"I think the advertisers are comfortable with it. They feel like it is effective or they wouldn't do it," Hutchison said.

Murray Ledger & Times sell their spaces for less than $100 a day for the slightly smaller than a 2 inch by 2 inch space.

The News-Express' space runs for about 30 times more than what an ad that size would run in the regular part of the newspaper, Backus said.

"A couple of our ad reps thought it was outrageous to ask that (price for the front page ad), but we tried to convince them that the newspaper was a viable source and these were prime spots."

While front-page advertising isn't anything new to these newspapers, readers of the Mountain Advocate in Barbourville are just getting their first glimpse.

The weekly newspaper began running front-page advertising in June, and so far the response has been great, according to Melissa Newman, general manager.

They have a client already committed to running for the next three months and hope to land another before that period ends. They hope to sell the space as a three-month contract deal.

Newman's advice to those considering implementing ads on the front page is, "do it" before someone else in the area does.

"There are some other newspapers in the area who we feel have under priced their front page ads and it makes it more difficult for us to sell it for what we think it is worth," Newman said. "If you are thinking about doing it - do it. The first paper in the area will set the price for the rest of them."

The space on the Barbourville paper runs on the bottom and is less than an inch tall spanning the paper's six columns.

"The front page is something of value," Newman said. "It shouldn't be sold at the cost of a regular ad but sold at the value it is worth."

So far, Newman said, the advertising customers really like the concept of being able to have their ads on the front page of the paper. They haven't heard any negative comments from their readers, she said.

"I think since papers like the Courier-Journal have already done it and been doing it for a while that this wasn't really a shock for (readers)," Newman said.

She said her editorial and advertising staffs work well together and have accepted the idea of a paid space running on the front page where it was once considered taboo.

"Having been on the editorial side of it was hard for me to put advertising on the front page at first," Newman said. "It is important for newspapers' advertising and editorial departments to come together. It is the money that pays the bills."

These newspapers are seeing success that The Kentucky Standard in Bardstown failed to see.

"The truth is we just haven't had much success with it," said Bruce Cook, advertising manager. "We had one client that ran on a continuous basis and if we don't get another one we will probably take it away."

Cook said they began offering the space a little over a year ago and advertisers have never really warmed up to the idea.

"Local advertisers just don't see a real value in it," Cook said. "It is six inches of space and they don't feel like they can get all the information they need in that space."

Advertisers wanting to inform readers of company name changes seem to like the spot, but other advertisers seek bigger spaces inside, he said.

"I think the sales staff really has to see a value in it," Cook said. "I'm not sure that our sales staff has really approached it correctly. It is a good thing for some areas, but I don't think our advertisers are ready for it."