City County Observer to Explore Launch of Obituary Section

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The City County Observer has formed an exploratory group to consider launching an obituary section to the daily online publication. Initial discussions are that pricing should remain under $100 for a premium obituary with a color picture with a lower price for simple death notices.

As the CCO is a small team and can move quite rapidly to establish an obits page we expect to announce the details of any offering within a few weeks. Please respond with comments to help us serve you our readers better.

11 COMMENTS

  1. Do it. You’ll own this town. The price of publishing an obituary has grown unconscionable, even ghoulish, around here.

    • I was completely shocked when a neighbor told me what the obituary for her nephew cost a few weeks ago. You’re definitely on to something, ‘Dana. Obits are the only local news CCO isn’t giving its readers, and I don’t know anybody who uses C&P for a primary source of national or world news.

  2. A CCO ad hoc partnership with Browning Funeral Home might be a painless way to do this. Their databases are strong and motives pure.

  3. I agree with all the above posts. Go for it CCO. My mother passed away in January of this year. It cost almost 500.00 to put the obit in the C&P. Unbelievable! Also you can only access a particular obit for a limited time, then you need to pay up to see it. They are making a lot of money from the families of the deceased.

    On another note, I wonder if the new pay to read on the C&P website has anything to do with the overwhelming non-support of the hotel? Just a thought.

  4. The theory is that the family is so distraught that they just sign the funeral contract that usually contains the obit payment without reading it line by line. I was sure I had been guilty of that and had to look hard to learn that my mom’s obit was almost $400.00.

    In the small town I moved from (Danville, IN, a burb of Indy), the small town weekly paper published obits for free because they believed it was a community service. I am not suggesting that the CCO do the same but I do think that the C&P obits are, sadly, a nice money-maker.

  5. CCO: No, recommend you skip the obituaries. That type of reporting has died and passed us by.

  6. Opportunity is knocking on your door, it would behoove you to open said door. Kudos to this new venture, I predict a bright future. Thanks !

  7. Was the only reason I went to the C&P website. The cost of an obituary is outrageous – To pay respect to the dead for the life they lived should be minimal to free. However I do think those outrageous ones that list every known survivor down to their houseplants and every job they had since birth should be paid for. I know that is the only reason some of us older folks(my 84 year old mother) even buy the paper – was to see the daily obits. I think it is still a service that is welcome.

  8. Yes do the obits and you might want to consider doing the Henderson obits as well some Henderson news. We lost the Gleaner over here to greed as well.

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