The question frequently being asked by dismayed readers of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, is "what's going on down there?"

My dentist, knowing I'm a retired Post reporter, said "It's just a shadow of itself." He asked if I thought cancelling his subscription would do any good as a way of

I couldn't answer because he was working in my mouth. When I was able, I just said, "It's corporate journalism. It's happening all over."

During more than three years of ownership by the Lee Enterprises newspaper chain readers have seen the Post shrink in size. Favorite sections were eliminated or cut back--the stock tables, comics, zoned sections, Everyday magazine, TV listings, and so on.

More changes came last month--combining of weekday feature sections, no metro section on Mondays, and no more daily TV listings. Hundreds of readers complained and some cancelled their subscriptions. The next change will be the physical narrowing of the pages, staffers were told. What readers can't see, but know because of reduced news coverage over the last three years, is the loss of hundreds of Post journalists and support staff--gone through two buyouts, firings, and resignations.

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These cuts were to offset the higher cost of newsprint and falling ad revenue. But the economy got worse this year with higher fuel prices, the slumping housing market and crisis of the auto industry--all further hurting ad revenue. Lee's fortunes went south with its share price recently dropping below $3 a share; it was above $35 in February 2007 and $42 a share when Lee bought Pulitzer Inc. for $1.46 billion in 2005.

"We continue to feel the economic challenges, including consecutive newsprint increases over the past 13 months," said Kevin Mowbray, Post publisher. But Lee continues to make profits and pay down it huge debt ($45 million was paid in this year's first nine months.) Even the Post is making money, though Lee won't break out these figures. And Lee's dividend continues at the extremely high rate of 22 percent on each share.

Post readers might be somewhat forgiving of the diminution of their local paper if they were fully aware of similar problems throughout the newspaper industry. The Gannett chain, the nation's largest publisher, laid off 1,000 employees during the summer, The McClatchy chain has made cuts at its papers, including the Belleville News-Democrat and Kansas City Star. The New York Times has been shedding employees including 550 union jobs in one fell swoop as it recently went to non-union contractors to deliver papers. Several newspapers gave notice to the Associated Press that they will cancel the service because of the cost. Two top editors of the Los Angeles Times quit rather than follow orders to lop jobs, which they said would decimate the staff. The Chicago Tribune, under new ownership, is losing so much money that it would qualify for bankruptcy. Newspapers in Florida, Ohio and elsewhere are sharing stories to reduce news-gathering costs

So the news from all over is bad and getting worse. Eric Alterman, who writes for national magazines, said in The Nation: "Spend some time on the 'future of news' conference circuit, as I have recently, and believe me, you'll need a drink, and perhaps a Prozac." He quoted a source which said that in July, "The shares of seven publicly-held newspaper companies plunged to their lowest point in modern history."

Alterman said the newspaper owners seem not to know what to do, except buy out the most experienced journalists and replace them with cheaper inexperienced ones. "The only expense still intact is executive pay ... the average compensation among the 13 public-company newspaper CEO's was just under $6 million a year in 2007 ... entirely unrelated to performance he wrote.

Layoffs at newspapers across the nation so far just this year have passed the 10,000 mark, according to the Web site Graphicdesignr.net/blog/feed. The site lists monthly layoffs and buyouts by newspapers but said many are not included because companies like Lee Enterprises don't always report them, and sometimes ask the departing employees to say they resigned.

Panic has set in. Some journalists write epitaphs for newspapers. "Adapt or Die," was the headline on one story about the industry. What to do? With the migration of readers and advertising to the Internet, the panacea for the luckless newspapers appears to be to reinvent themselves in this digital age. Put the news online for free to attract advertising, even though the online revenue is slow in coming.

The Post is following this path with increased emphasis on providing breaking news on its STLtoday.com web site. Reporters are told to write their copy for immediate transmittal online, similar to the way the AP wire service operates. Photos, slides and video are added, sometimes by reporters. Then the story is written for the print newspaper. Readers can respond to the online stories and make comments on a blog called STLtoday.com/The Platform.

Online news emphasis

The Post newsroom has been renovated to integrate the online and print operations. Editors meet twice a day in the center of the room to plan what stories are coming. The focus of the morning meeting is mostly on the online news while the afternoon meeting focuses on stories for the print newspaper.

The Post employees are working harder to "do more with less." Reporters are still turning out good copy, such as: The sale of AnheuserBusch; a scandal involving the police chief and his resignation; and profiles of political candidates. There are excellent columns by Bill McClellan, Sylvester Brown and others. The sports coverage is extensive, the editorials remain strong and many stories are reported that are unavailable from radio or television.

But the firings continue, with 18 more just a few weeks ago, including five non-union news managers who were abruptly told to leave the building. Included were veteran editors Dale Singer, Courtney Barrett, and Carl Green along with editors Rick Pierce and Sid Hastings. Other editors were nervous they also might be tapped on the shoulder. The long-time Pulitzer paternalism toward employees is not practiced by Lee.

The Post planned to fire 11 of its 21 union display ad typesetters as a cost-cutting move. It will outsource their work to India, reported the St. Louis Labor Tribune. Post managers will assign the work to a California firm that has a shop near Delhi, India. Several Post advertisers and union leaders criticized the decision to send more American jobs overseas.

The company has requested early negotiations for a new contract (the present one expires next June 5), indicating it wants financial concessions. "Job security will be our main goal, more than a pay raise," said one Newspaper Guild official.

Lee has made job cuts at many of its other 50 newspapers (all smaller than the Post) and its 300 weeklies. It owns the weekly Suburban Journals locally which has stopped delivery in some areas (see Journals story) and laid off 14 employees.

Last ear, Lee CEO Mary Junck got compensation of $3.8 million, including a bonus though she did not attain goals set out for her. Other Lee officials also got bonuses and the corporate rules were changed to grant some top executives lucrative golden parachutes should control of the company change hands.

While the Post cuts back on its pages, a fellow named Max Millionaire rates free full-page ads. He's the company cartoon mascot who urges readers to clip coupons that can be used to buy merchandise from certain advertisers. While it's annoying to some readers and staffers, publisher Mowbray hopes it will help build circulation. In one house ad the Post said it was one of the most- read papers in the country with 1.3 million St. Louis adults reading it every week.

Alterman, who frequently writes about newspapers, quoted the late Molly Ivins as saying of media moguls: "For some reason, they assume people will want to buy more newspapers if they if they have less news in them and are less useful."

Alterman concluded: "The loss of daily newspapers is a significant threat to the future of our democracy. It is far too important to be left in the hands of a few clueless media moguls and their "chief innovation officers."

RELATED ARTICLE: Post among top 20 Sunday papers.

While the St. Louis Post-Dispatch failed to make the list of top 20 daily papers in circulation, it was the 20th in Sunday circulation, reports Editor & Publisher magazine.

The Post's average Sunday circulation was 414,564, which represents a gain of 6,810 (1.6%) over last year. Aside from the Post, only the St. Petersburg Times gained in Sunday circulation among the top 20 newspapers.

The New York Times' Sunday circulation lost 150,062 (9.2%) over last year, but still had the largest Sunday circulation with 1,476,400.

USA Today had the largest daily circulation of 2,284,219, which represents a gain of 6,197 (0.2%) over last year. Of the top 20 newspapers only two, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal, gained in daily circulation over last year.

RELATED ARTICLE: Cuts extend to Suburban Journals.

The Suburban Journals are landing on fewer lawns after the free papers have cut back on circulation and staff.

When Richmond Heights City Manager Amy Hamilton found out that the Mid-County Journal would no longer be delivered in her city, she expressed mixed emotions in an e-mail to the City Council.

"I don't know if I am happy or sad," Hamilton wrote. "I hate to see the papers along the street each week but it was also a quick way to get information out to citizens."

When Ferguson Mayor Brian Fletcher found out that the North County Journal edition that served his area was no longer coming out, he said to a reporter, "It looks to me like a slight on North County."

Suburban Journals publisher Bob Williams said finances dictated his decision.

"In response to this challenging economy, we suspended production and delivery of two of our North County Journals and trimmed distribution of the Mid-County Journal in some areas," Williams wrote in an email.

"Throughout all our offices 14 positions were eliminated." He declined to elaborate, but observers say the increased cost of newsprint and fuel, with weakening ad revenue, were key reasons. Williams wrote that the cutbacks coincided with the elimination of the 14 jobs but he did not specify what jobs were cut..

The two editions of the North County Journals eliminated covered Berkeley, Ferguson, Normandy, Bellefontaine Neighbors, Jennings, Riverview, Dellwood and a host of smaller cities, covering all of North County east of Florissant, Black Jack and Hazelwood and north of Interstate 70.

The Mid-County Journal will continue to come out but it will no longer be delivered to Maplewood, Richmond Heights, Ladue and Frontenac. Brentwood will continue to get the paper. Monika Kleban, managing editor of the West County Journal said in an e-mail to a Richmond Heights City Council member, "We will continue to cover events and news in the area to post on our web site."

The Suburban Journals are owned by the Lee Enterprises newspaper chain, which also owns the Post.

Other free papers are reducing their frequency. The West End Word just went from a weekly to every other week, while Central Newsmagazine is going to a monthly from twice a month. Publisher Doug Huber said his other two publications, West Newsmagazine and MidRivers Newsmagazine, will continue at the present frequency of thrice monthly and twice monthly respectively.

The Vital VOICE, a newspaper read by gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and changed gender persons in St. Louis and Southern Illinios, said it will publish once a month rather than twice monthly, as a cost-cutting measure.

Benjamin Israel