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E.W. SCRIPPS SELECTS PBS MEDIAPLUS® CIRCULATION FOR THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL
System Harnesses the Power of Circulation Data to Increase Revenue and Improve Customer Service
Minneapolis, MN – January 31, 2006 – E.W. Scripps selected MediaPlus® Circulation to help The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn., and its other newspapers share data, increase revenue and improve customer service. Developed by Publishing Business Systems, North America’s leading source for integrated enterprise–wide newspaper business software systems, MediaPlus Circulation is a comprehensive system that expertly manages the entire circulation business cycle, from processing subscriber information to delivering the newspaper to the rack or front door.
Cincinnati–based E.W. Scripps, the nation’s ninth largest newspaper publisher, owns daily and community newspapers in 18 markets, including Memphis, where it owns The Commercial Appeal. As the largest circulation newspaper in the Mid–South and Memphis’ only daily newspaper, The Commercial Appeal serves Memphis and 71 counties in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi.
The Scripps agreement also includes MediaPlus® InsertPlus, which manages inserts, MediaPlus® iServices Subscriber for online customer self–services, MediaPlus® iServices Distribution, a self–service application that gives distributors and carriers easy access to account information online and MediaPlus® Circulation InSight business intelligence and analytic tools.
"Scripps and its papers have had a long history with PBS," said Ed Pieratt, director of technology, E.W. Scripps. "We’ve used PBS products for many years and know we can expect technology that meets our needs and helps provide solid customer service." Those aren’t the only reasons Scripps made the decision to license MediaPlus Circulation. "We also chose MediaPlusCirculation because of its flexibility and functionality," said Pieratt.
Charley Johnson, director of information technology, The Commercial Appeal, agrees. "Once the installation is complete, we’ll be able to generate a full range of reports, all without having to do any programming," said Johnson. A lot of the functionality Scripps wanted for The Commercial Appeal and its other papers comes standard with PBS products. "We’re getting functionality, control and flexibility in an off–the–shelf product. Some customization was needed, but it was minimal compared to what we’ve had to do in the past. What’s more, MediaPlus Circulation will help us accommodate business growth and better understand our current and future needs. And because PBS has such a terrific installation and data conversion team, changing from our mainframe system to the new system will be easier than we expected," said Johnson.
"The MediaPlus Circulation solution suite provides newspapers with access to a wealth of circulation information," said PBS President Ron Bernier. "That information can be analyzed in a variety of ways, including circulation growth, complaints, market saturation, retention, starts and stops, changes in service levels, and trends in draws and returns."
MediaPlus Circulation, which is being installed on a Progress database for The Commercial Appeal, is also available with Oracle® database compatibility.
