It is fascinating to watch emerging signs that the Idaho Falls newspaper is floundering more than ever. Three such signs have surfaced in the past few days.

Subscribers to the paper have noticed an annoying addition to the front page. Brightly colored stickers advertising various businesses have been placed near the top edge of the front page, actually obscuring the name of the paper. Apparently business names are more important than the identity of the newspaper. (Or is it that the revenue thus generated supersedes the mortification of it all?)

Next, the newspaper billing process has gone from a postcard, to a full sheet enclosed in an envelope with a return envelope – to a postcard. Trimming expenses seems to be a top priority for these folks. The postcard gives the subscriber far fewer options, such as including a tip for the paper carrier, or contributing to the ill-conceived Newspaper in Education program (which traps gullible individuals into buying newspapers for classrooms, a ploy which at least ups newspaper circulation numbers).

And speaking of circulation numbers, apparently the powers that be at the Idaho Falls newspaper have somehow failed to report their numbers to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, or ABC, a well-known and trusted tracker of newspaper numbers. This is at least the second 6-month period in which the Idaho Falls newspaper has skipped this important task.

Remember that newspapers base advertising rates on their circulation numbers. What does this lapse actually tell advertisers?

Having just built new printing facilities (which event has been used to excuse everything from smaller papers to faulty color printing), one can only suppose the newspaper is feeling the financial pinch.

But it is not a surprise to observers that the paper seems to be experiencing shrinking revenues and shrinking subscriptions. Subscribers have been leaving in droves as a (sometimes) silent protest to blatant bias and poor reporting.

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