IS IT TRUE because we experienced some technical problems concerning the launching of our newly resigned paper we decided to repeat yesterdays IS IT TRUE column? …thanks for your support and reading the new City County Observer newspaper?
IS IT TRUE that it is no secret that the newspaper industry has been falling on hard times for at least a decade?…from the New York Times to every daily news based paper in the country the struggle to survive has meant cuts to staff and the associated lowering the bar when it comes to quality?…it seems as though any small to medium sized daily paper that once captured a reader’s attention for a half hour a day is now only capable of keeping one’s attention for less than 5 minutes?…the Evansville Courier and Press is no exception to what is happening to newspapers all over the country?…a court ruling regarding the taxable value of a piece of expensive equipment was published yesterday by the IndianaaLawyer.com and it included some interesting facts entered into the public record about the financial health of the Courier and Press?…the City County Observer publishes the following without bias or editing and in many ways feels remorse for the challenges facing print media of all types?  …attached below is the recap of the court ruling for your review: Evansville Courier Company, Inc. v. Vanderburgh County Assessor?
IS IT TRUE that the Evansville Courier and Press has lost approximately 60% of its circulation since the 1990s according to the official court document?…during the 7 year period from 2004 to 2011 the Courier and Press saw both daily and Sunday circulation decline by nearly 20%?…in 2011 the daily circulation of the Courier had fallen to under 40,000 and the Sunday circulation to 57,111?…this is in a market that has approximately 350,000 people?…if national trends have been followed those numbers are likely to be down by another 15% to 20% today?…In 2004 the Courier and Press employed over 500 people and today that number is closer to 200 and shrinking?…it actually states in the court document signed by Judge John J. Baker that “the Courier and Press anticipates that within 10 years they will not be publishing a printed paper?  …some of the reasons for the declines given by the Courier and Press in the legal document are competition for ads with Craigslist which is a free online sales portal, competition for news against Facebook, Twitter, and online publications?…the City County Observer was not mentioned?
IS IT TRUE the legal dust up is all about a flexographic printer that was bought by the Courier and Press in 1989 as a state of the art printing press that would last for many years?…when the printing press became obsolete to the point that spare parts were not even available the Courier management petitioned the Vanderburgh County Assessor’s Office to decrease the value of the obsolete equipment for taxation purposes?…the amount in question is on the order of $3 Million so the taxes on such a thing per year are significant?…the courts have decided that a write down of value on the basis of abnormal obsolescence is not approved leaving the Courier and Press on the hook to pay taxes on a printing press that they can’t find parts for or even repair?…this is the sort of thing that makes practical human beings look upon government actions as out of touch with reality?…continuing to tax this worthless asset even after being shown an appraisal is a prime example of government making war on business?…the day will come that there will be no daily written paper in the City of Evansville and the Vanderburgh County Assessor’s Office will bear partial responsibility for taxing a struggling business to death?
IS IT TRUE this is truly a case of oppression of a free press through irrational and indefensible taxation?…these taxes are a real world example of SNEGAL running wild?  …since the Courier and Press sub-contracts the printing of their paper in Louisville, Ky the obvious solution for the owners of this printing press is to move it somewhere that doesn’t do this and let it rust to the ground?…the City County Observer states a position of support for a free and honest press that does not fear the lash of taxation putting it out of business?…today the CCO is a brother publication that has felt the lash of oppression ourselves for publishing the brutal truth about the shenanigans the local power brokers pull on the taxpayers of Evansville?  …we pledge to continue to strive for truth and honestly in government and shall continue to force our elected officials to practice “good public policy”?
IS IT TRUE we are being told by friends from the main stream media if the once mighty Courier and Press don’t pay strict attention to the business at hand they may become a fledgling blog? Â …the City County Observer has been there and done that?
Today “Readers Poll” question is: Are you pleased with the new layout and design of the City County Observer?
