The Daily News increases newsstand price by 25 cents next month

The Daily News provides a lump of coal in your stocking just before Christmas, with news of a price increase for December.

Those Rupertites who pick up their Monday, Tuesday and Thursday editions (the non free days) at their local newsstand may be in for a shock on Tuesday, December 1st, that's when a 33 per cent price increase will go into effect for Prince Rupert's local daily newspaper.

In a small advertisement in Friday, November 20th's paper, way back on page 15, (click on ad above for full view) the Daily News outlines the new single copy price increase to one dollar, up from 75 cents at the moment, that for the three non free days of their five day news cycle. The press run for Wednesday and Fridays papers still appear to be on the free home delivery rotation.

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Reassuring for home subscribers will be the note in fine print at the bottom of the ad which advises: Subscribers will continue to have their papers delivered to their homes as part of their paid subscription. (uh, ok thanks)

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Those with home subscriptions will not see an increase in their cost for the Monday, Tuesday and Thursday editions, only those Rupertites who purchase the paper at newsstand's or take the time to wander into the Daily News offices.

It may be the tipping point for many merchants in town, some whom no doubt are still puzzled as to why they have to charge a cost for the papers sold on the free days and feel the wrath of the consumer for that conundrum. Now, adding on the thirty three percent increase could leave them to wonder if carrying the Daily is worth the blow back from the consumers.

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We suspect that there aren't any local retailers that are getting rich by carrying the paper on their shelves, featuring it more as a local service than anything else.

In the Friday ad, hidden away as it was, there was no explanation as to the reasoning of the increase, something that might help residents understand why the Daily News feels the need for such a sizable jump in cost.

Are there more features to come? Expanded coverage of local issues? Has the paper suffered increased production costs or labour increases? Is this a move to try once again to increase the subscriber base? Something, anything, they might have to offer, might help justify the added cost of the paper and might be of interest to the readers.

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It's an interesting move for the paper, increasing prices is always a controversial topic, especially when many already feel that the paper charges too much, for what it delivers as it is.

Perhaps some pre-emptive action in the form of an editorial page contribution before the increase might help to cushion some of the complaints that are surely to arrive on December 2nd.

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Correction: As outlined in the comments below, the increase of the news stand price next month is thirty three per cent, not the twenty five first suggested in this post, we have corrected the copy to fix our mathematical error.