James Dowd at The Commercial Appeal:
Beginning Monday, the price of Monday through Saturday single copy editions of The Commercial Appeal — found in racks and at retailers — increases to $1, but the change will not affect Sunday editions or subscription rates.
As part of the increase, a portion of every non-subscription copy sold will be deposited in The Commercial Appeal Children’s Fund, a newly established program to benefit nonprofit organizations dealing with children’s and women’s issues.
Memphis is a hurting city, and I’m all for just about any group working on the front lines on “children’s and women’s issues.”
So, let’s go check out The Commercial Appeal Children’s Fund. Here’s George H. Cogswell, president and publisher of The CA:
With the launch of the program in March of 2013, The Commercial Appeal donates five percent of every weekday newspaper sold at stores, racks and street hawker locations to a non-profit organization whose mission is to serve children.
Initially, organizations will receive funds based on two months’ of newspaper sales. In March and April, sales benefit LeBonheur Children’s Hospital. Other organizations will be named to receive funds for a two-month period.
Now, I’m sure over the course of two months, five percent of all daily, non-subscription sales is a reasonable amount of money, but as someone who loves Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital (and I’m sure all the other, not-yet-named groups), if I want to support them, I’d rather just write them a check or volunteer, and not launder my money through our local newspaper first, just to see one nickel of my dollar help someone in need. This could have been a great move for The CA, but it just feels like a way to move the conversation away from the paper’s price increase.