- ckg927
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
And Metroland isn't the only company throwing in the towel; CBC is reporting that the Quebec newspaper company Metro Media is going to declare bankruptcy this week, putting 70 employees(30 of them journalists)permanently out of work. It'll affect 30 hyper-local publications, including the newspaper Metro and 16 local publications.
The weird thing is, Metro Media's balance sheet was good but the company didn't have the liquidity to continue.
(Due props to Dave Agar for bringing this story to my attention on social media. I keep saying: Give this guy a follow.)
- PeterY
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
One aspect of the closing of Metroland’s 70 newspapers which hasn’t been mentioned is the number of kids who delivered these newspapers every week are now out of their jobs which provided some pocket money. Yes, I know the paper was technically free, and it was vehicle to deliver flyers, but also included was local news and city announcements. There was always an option to pay two bucks to the newspaper carrier, which I have done. I delivered the Globe & Mail as a kid and my son had a “This Week” route when the paper published three days per week.
Our carrier is a good young person (maybe 13- 14 or so), always has a smile, and brought the paper faithfully every week. She was learning responsibility, and the skill of being able to look an adult in the eye, smile, and carry on a short conversation ( as well as make some money). Those are skills that you take with you in life. They’re probably the last of the kids who slung newspapers to people’s homes. Give `em a couple of bucks if you see them in the neighbourhood.
- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
Mine was delivered by two adults driving in a car, who would throw the papers out at each driveway, often miss, and just kept going. Sort of a drive-by "newsing." Half the time, they either came late or not at all.
You're lucky you had someone responsible to get your local edition. I know I will miss mine, although not necessarily the duo that delivered it.
- turkeytop
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
I think we'll still get our flyers. They come with the Londoner paper, put out by the London Free Press. I hope that won't be affected.
I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
- Lorne
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
RadioActive wrote:
Mine was delivered by two adults driving in a car, who would throw the papers out at each driveway, often miss, and just kept going. Sort of a drive-by "newsing." Half the time, they either came late or not at all.
You're lucky you had someone responsible to get your local edition. I know I will miss mine, although not necessarily the duo that delivered it.
In recent years, the delivery person in my neighbourhood was just tossing the Scarborough Mirror in the bottom part of our driveways -- and sometimes I'd see them there long afterwards with people obviously having driven over them. Eventually, a neighbour told me that he had phoned to complain about this but it hadn't done any good. So I decided to try sending an email. That led to the Mirror being tossed up to the front of my house -- but only to my house, with everyone else still getting them at the bottom of their driveways. Considering that I'd complained about the general situation and pointed out that advertisers wouldn't be happy about their flyers being driven over, buried in snow, etc., I felt that delivering only my paper in a better way was completely missing the point. But while I'm ok with getting the flyers that I want online instead, I'm still sorry to see these papers come to an end especially given how many other papers we've lost in recent years.
- mace
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
I receive flyers in my apartment mail box every week wrapped in a plastic bag. Mostly Metro, Sobeys and Canadian Tire. I have to admit the Flipp grocery app on my phone is extremely convenient.
- turkeytop
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
In London, Canada Post delivers flyers each week for Canadian Tire and Home Hardware. They come bundled in the same package together.
I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
- Brad
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
CBC Hamilton is reporting that the Hamilton Spectator's office will be shutting down by the end of October, to save on leasing costs. All staff will work remotely. An office in Waterdown and Markham will also shut down.
After being on Frid Street for decades, the Spectator moved to the mountain in 2020. Now it's ending.
- Dial Twister
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
In London, Canada Post delivers flyers each week for Canadian Tire and Home Hardware. They come bundled in the same package together.
My Super-mail-box is going to need to go on a diet.
- zed
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
Next to the Super mail boxes at my condo complex is a round receptacle that is always overflowing with those bundles of flyers.
- dmcjeff
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
in south Barrie, the weekly flyers (and there are a lot of them) were delivered inside the Barrie Advance newspaper which leads me to believe there is big money in advertising and Metroland could have easily funded the continuation of the paper(s) if they allocated some of the flyer revenue.
[img]!AuF8Sd9OzvCbg5oAXaSlHwJVUvLp-w?e=arHBuk[/img]
- paterson1
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
in south Barrie, the weekly flyers (and there are a lot of them) were delivered inside the Barrie Advance newspaper which leads me to believe there is big money in advertising and Metroland could have easily funded the continuation of the paper(s) if they allocated some of the flyer revenue.
Flyer revenue has gone down a lot over the last six or seven years. The costs for delivery are high when you include all what is involved. Buildings to warehouse and secure millions of flyers, equipment, fork lifts, mechanical sorters and many staff needed to package flyers and manage delivery to the warehouse from the printer. Contract drivers are hired and reimbursed for gas, insurance and wear on their vehicles for delivery in rural areas, and regional depots or in town where there is no carrier. The cost of paying hundreds of carriers who deliver door to door. Also flyers need to be packaged in something, like a flyer wrap or newspaper such as the Barrie Advance.
Flyer delivery has never been a huge money maker even in the peak era about fifteen years ago. Today print flyer delivery is not profitable in most cases. This is one of the reasons that Metroland filed for bankruptcy. They have always been heavily invested in delivery.
Advertisers have been moving more and more to electronic flyers for years and printing fewer physical versions. Many of the big advertisers use their own websites to promote their weekly flyers and not newspaper sites.
Newspaper advertising itself has collapsed over the last fifteen years with classified, national and local ad revenue down by hundreds of millions of dollars every year.
- mic'em
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
My Canada Post mail box has been full of flyers the past two days.
- Radiowiz
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
My Canada Post mail box has been full of flyers the past two days.
It might not be Metroland anymore.
Just strictly a guess... the replacement?
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- Dial Twister
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
It might not be Metroland anymore.
Just strictly a guess... the replacement?
From their website...
"Canada Post Flyers.
Who said going door to door is antiquated? Deliver flyers right on the door steps of your target customers."
Apparently this company hasn't heard of Super Mailboxes. 😏
- Radiowiz
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
13 cents may sound bad, but it is potentially worse, near the bottom of the article:
"If the company becomes bankrupt, unsecured creditors could get just five cents on the dollar in a best-case scenario, according to a report by insolvency trustee Grant Thornton."
Last edited by Radiowiz (October 17, 2023 10:58 pm)
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- Bill101
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
All the grim details here. 60 pages of creditors!
- mace
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
Interesting that 105 of the laid off employees were unionized. All those union dues paid and they still lost their jobs.
- Dial Twister
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
Interesting that 105 of the laid off employees were unionized. All those union dues paid and they still lost their jobs.
Unions do not guarantee employment. Unions simply take 'lone' employees and provide them with group representation; thus a stronger voice when dealing with the employer, which is often a large corporation, sometimes a foreign one.
Section 2 of Canada's Charter provides for freedom of association, which I'm certain you support.
- mace
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
Interesting that 105 of the laid off employees were unionized. All those union dues paid and they still lost their jobs.
Unions do not guarantee employment. Unions simply take 'lone' employees and provide them with group representation; thus a stronger voice when dealing with the employer, which is often a large corporation, sometimes a foreign one.
Section 2 of Canada's Charter provides for freedom of association, which I'm certain you support.
I have worked in the private sector my entire life, have earned a reasonably good wage, and been laid off several times as well. My point is basically, if I am eventually going to lose my private sector union job, why am I paying large amounts of union dues?
- BowmanvilleBob
- Member
Offline
Re: Metroland seeks bankruptcy protection, lays off 605
Mace, without turning this into a long debate about the relative merits of unionism in today's environment, I'd advise you to read this and remember than 100 percent of union dues are tax deductible - ,by%20a%20collective%20bargaining%20agreement.