San Jose daily to outsource ad production

[OhioChick]

Mercury News latest in line of MediaNews properties to hand over prepress to overseas firm.

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The San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News is outsourcing its ad production to a U.S. firm with offices in India, following the lead of other MediaNews Group dailies.

The Mercury News will be sending its ad work to Express KCS, which maintains digital production offices in Gurgaon, India.

The Mercury News will begin outsourcing work July 1 and complete the transition by Aug. 30.

“We are appreciative of the work that our composing room employees have performed over the years, and would not be making this decision if it were not supported by sound business reasons,” said an explanatory memo from a Mercury News executive that was posted on a Web site operated by the Newspaper Guild at the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press.

http://www.newsandtech.com/issues/2007/05-07/nt/05-07_sj-outsource.htm

[Hestia]

1. How in the heck is that going to work?

Good grief! Having worked at a newspaper, there are way too many last minute inserts for ads; 10 revisions of ad before going to composing; what about proofing? I cannot see the advertisers being happy at all having to email India and try to get the correct ad, and in enough time to make the edition of the paper that they want. Yes, Sunday's paper starts the layout Tues but also runs through Friday at 5 pm. I would think that the loss of advertiser money would keep them from doing this! Bad bad move on their part.

[juno jones]

2. Maybe if you printed NEWS you could make enough

to keep your american staff...oh well, bye bye print media. Once our newspapers are assembled overseas I doubt anyone will buy them.