State officials are looking to bring the public notice monopoly of print news into the digital age, making the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and its team of line-crossing scabs the region’s lone financial beneficiary.
And for those of you who still enjoy thumbing your way through the Thursday and Sunday editions, a newly proposed House bill will ultimately usher in the end of the P-G’s print era and what’s left of your peaceful morning routine.
Why keep the expense of printing a newspaper if by law you no longer have to?
Rep. Robert Freeman, a Democrat from Easton, and the House Local Government Committee chair, sponsored this bill. Known as HB1291, it now has 22 co-sponsors (four of which are Republican) and the support of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, a group of which we at West Hills Gazette are a paying member.
Introduced in April, this proposed legislation would be an update to the state’s Newspaper Advertising Act, expanding the definition of “newspaper of general circulation” to reflect changes in technology as newspapers transform to digital platforms.
Currently, municipalities and school districts must publish public notices in print newspapers of general circulation. These public notices inform citizens about zoning changes, proposals that could affect the environment, tax increases and other critical issues before local governments.
So far, all this sounds logical, right? The key to why we are even writing this editorial is because of one line in HB1291 requiring a newspaper of general circulation to be “the digital descendant of a printed newspaper product.“
That would leave West Hills Gazette and other pure play digital outfits hoping for scraps, while the P-G and other long-standing print publications statewide will line up at the trough.
Advertising a public notice is not cheap. You, as a citizen, pay for these advertisements with your tax dollars. Now, imagine that notice rate steadily creeping upward when a regional digital descendent newspaper will be without competition?
According to Freeman’s bill memo, “As more newspapers expand digital platforms and many rural areas and certain demographics within the Commonwealth struggle with limited internet access, this definition should be broadened to address the circumstances of all Pennsylvanians so that public notices reach as many people as possible.”
The West Hills Gazette partnership understands the need for this law to be updated; what we don’t understand is why legislators and the PNA are playing favorites and rewarding only existing print news providers.
As West Hills Gazette creeps up on its first year in publication, we have made many additions and changes to our news website including a format for readers to publish obituaries. We’ve also been working on a classifieds platform that would support the inclusion of public notices. Do you think your school district or municipality will pay to publish twice? Doubtful.
Legislators, minor adjustments to this bill would allow for modernization of public notices without the creation of monopolies. It’s not too late to make changes that will lead to a more level playing field for all publications that seek to keep their readers informed, whether in print or online.
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