It's already been pointed our programme was voted 2nd best in the division,so why bin the only thing that the club is doing right for a shit rag full of adverts nobody wants.
I would prefer to be informed of our oppo for the day,our past history of games against said oppo,how well our new starlets are shaping up and which myopic tit is running the line that afternoon not how much fish fingers cost in Woolwich branch of Lidl!
Given football outside of the Premiership is inherently loss-making at an operational level, I've no problem philosophically with a fresh set of eyes looking at every aspect of the club and asking whether it can be done more profitably (or with fewer losses).
Simply continuing with something because "it's always been done" doesn't seem smart business sense - the concept is called 'zero-based budgeting' and some of the best management teams in the world adopt it. Unfortunately our current management team wouldn't be so described.
Given football outside of the Premiership is inherently loss-making at an operational level, I've no problem philosophically with a fresh set of eyes looking at every aspect of the club and asking whether it can be done more profitably (or with fewer losses).
Simply continuing with something because "it's always been done" doesn't seem smart business sense - the concept is called 'zero-based budgeting' and some of the best management teams in the world adopt it. Unfortunately our current management team wouldn't be so described.
I agree, hence my previous comments on that even the best ideas can be cack-handedly executed.
It fits in with the current narrative that players and infrastructure are assets, fans are just walking wallets and that nothing that happens on the pitch affects the profit margins. It's so short-sighted and lacks any understanding of how the football business actually works. I wonder if RD would put our CEO in charge of his precious microchip business or however he made his millions. I doubt it!!
In isolation it's not a bad idea. In the context of the CEO's credibility now shot to pieces the motivation and thought behind this is questionable. Wouldn't surprise me if some random casually dropped the idea during a networking coffee break at the Web Summit. Someone's then had a light bulb moment. To be fair it's a more interesting project to work on than recruiting a proper football manager.
I don't understand the idea of not having a program.
We aren't the cinema, we are like a bad play etc, you get offered a program and if they do it well and pitch the price right you buy one and it is your permanent paper link to your memories of the day.
Buying a program at Charlton has become difficult due to lack of suppliers. This is surely deliberate? 'Oh we aren't selling enough so it's not worth it.' Rather than the truth which is:
'It covers its costs and makes a small profit if we distribute it well. Also we could distribute .pdf editions of the same content but we don't. The problem is we find comment in the content that we pu for which we think criticises our running of the club and therefore it does not meet our overall propaganda criteria.'
Isnt a free sheet the norm on the continent, I think its only really us brits who like to collect them. I suppose its another step on the promised better communication with fans promise..... er hold on....
I readily admit I'm old school regarding programmes. Buying one is just something you do when you go to football. Indeed, can't imagine going to a game and not buying one (although looks like I'm going to have to)
But more than that, it's another attack on the history and tradition of OUR club. As far as I'm aware, the club has produced a programme for every first team game it has played since turning professional. They provide a great history of the club and an insight into different times. To stop producing them for a free advertising sheet is just another slap in the face for long suffering fans.
I'm not [usually] a nasty person but I am seriously beginning to wish ill on KM (presuming she is the fecking idiot behind this brainwave).
Every now and then I find an old programme in the house, they are always a great read and bring back so many memories. I couldn't imagine my son not having the same experience.
The difference between the Charlton programme and the freebies handed out to commuters is the potential circulation. Pay to advertise in the Evening Standard and you potentially hit more than a million people (including rereads), by the time KM has finished her work there'll be a potential audience of about 5k for the Charlton programme and they probably won't be interested enough to read it. It'll be full of £10 ads for the local corner shop or folks trying to sell an old pram.
Exactly. There wasn't a market for programme ads at Charlton in the Premier League when we could sell 10,000 plus copies.
But couldn't a slimmed down free version of a programme be distributed much more broadly (and not just in the vicinity of the ground)?
Obviously I'm comparing apples with oranges but NME has gone from a paid circulation of 15,000 to a free circulation of 300,000.
Indeed, but people attending Charlton matches is a finite market. They are likely to be selling 2,500-3,000, I'd guess and bundling another 500 to hospitality, media, staff, etc.
Not going to need much more than 7,000 even free, IMO.
I actually had a scheme for a monthly Charlton freesheet distributed through supermarkets across SE London / Kent in 2006/7 but it was speculative and didn't survive relegation. Couldn't link it to matches, though, because the distribution networks for doing this have their own timetable, and anyway it would have made no commercial sense to do so.
This is all about doing what they do on the continent, as are her ongoing ideas to move away from Saturday 3pm kick-off times. It has nothing to do with a coherent business plan.
WCA and Muttley beat me to it, I can see VOTV turning into a match by match publication, in fact it might do anyway based on all the strange nonsense coming from the network on an almost hourly basis just now.
I can also see these freebies being thrown onto the pitch and around the ground making for a bigger clean up bill. I am sure that KM will hate employing more cleaners.
I have boxes of programmes going back to the mid 50s although I stopped buying any more about 6-7 years ago because it seemed like a question of 'Never mind the quality, just feel the thickness'. It's mainly just poor quality tat. 10 pages of better quality content could just tempt me back, but not if its full of adverts.
One of the other problems with a free 10 page thing is the litter. If people have bought a programme they don't just chuck it on the ground after reading a bit of it. The railway have the same problem with the Metro. The litter in the streets as well as inside the ground will have to be cleared up by someone.
And considering that Greenwich Council's street-sweeping regime in the area (except streets immediately around the ground) is pretty poor, that's not going to be much fun for locals.
What a strange turn of events........... Thought the programme had just won an award!. so this is the thanks eh!
Why ten pages, seems a very wasteful way to produce a leaflet, but then the size was non standard compared to most in the football league according to the previous Print Director,from BIshops........ that Bradshaw decided to replace two seasons ago?
I have heard people trying to replace print, with electronic interactive pdf's, produced a couple myself a couple of 10 years ago.
You do away with the print costs, delivery and print times, as you could produce them and send out or link to a site and you could use the url's to advertisers websites, produce niche advertisers advetorials etc. So I am guessing you could buy a ticket electronically, get a code, and download or access the programme.
BUT, you still have to generate the material, and maybe for Arsenal, Chelsea,etc for advertisers for the numbers involved and the European games....... but CAFC?
The other thing is the programme is a collectable item. not sure people want to collect leaflets. but hey people collect matchbox's. Did suggest to Bradshaw that you could download the programme a week later after the game from the website if you are a season ticket holder with 'page suite' ( as you have the pdf already)
Oh well that leaves the trust news, and VOTV more opportunities .
The Trust News is still going? :-;
Well it was on Saturday when I spoke to Prague and Rich in the Swan , and still free!....... Interesting that she believes that this 'leaflet' will full fill the criteria, you could make it a 'gatefold' and have it as a large poster pull out A2 size. That was how Felix Dennis made his money years ago with all those Kungfu, and soft porn magazines.
You could even make an 'app' with the help of the MA students at the UoG......... If only someone could design such a thing?
It seems a fairly sensible idea to be honest - if far more esteemed publications like NME have to move with the times and issue a slimmed down version for free, than I'm sure the Charlton programme can do the same. As others have said it's an anachronism in the age of the internet.
Whilst by definition it will have to contain a significant number of advertisements, it will also have to contain a reasonable amount of real content else no-one will pick it up regardless of its free distribution.
From a profitability point of view, others will know the possibilities better than me but a programme which perhaps 80-90% of people would pick up as opposed to the current much lower percentage may drive advertising revenue which offsets the loss of sales revenue (and in addition production costs will be lower too). In addition there would presumably be greater scope for having say a wraparound advertising cover similar to the ones regularly offered with the Evening Standard or Metro.
Disagree 100%,another crackpot idea from the deluded one. Nme and the Standard and the Metro are all awful publications anyway.
NME is rubbish now but it used to be a serious publication for music fans.
Metro has always been bizarre to me - regurgitates two day old stories from news agencies yet people still pick it up.
I think the Evening Standard is pretty decent for a free newspaper.
If you follow football in Holland or Belgium that is the norm,no programmes.We are english and noway do i want Charlton to walk down that street. Other things that go on in football in Belgium i will comment on later.
If you follow football in Holland or Belgium that is the norm,no programmes.We are english and noway do i want Charlton to walk down that street. Other things that go on in football in Belgium i will comment on later.
And that, ladies and gents, extraordinary as it may seem, is what this is about.
Absolutely hilarious; she's essentially shutting down one of the only lines of communications that exist with the club for the average fan now..
Twitter isn't the same and the club website itself is pretty frustrating to use. There's something nice about having a magazine style publication to read at leisure or during half time.
Comments
Simply continuing with something because "it's always been done" doesn't seem smart business sense - the concept is called 'zero-based budgeting' and some of the best management teams in the world adopt it. Unfortunately our current management team wouldn't be so described.
It fits in with the current narrative that players and infrastructure are assets, fans are just walking wallets and that nothing that happens on the pitch affects the profit margins. It's so short-sighted and lacks any understanding of how the football business actually works. I wonder if RD would put our CEO in charge of his precious microchip business or however he made his millions. I doubt it!!
If it is ten pages then it will be five sheets with a staple in the top corner. Classy.
We aren't the cinema, we are like a bad play etc, you get offered a program and if they do it well and pitch the price right you buy one and it is your permanent paper link to your memories of the day.
Buying a program at Charlton has become difficult due to lack of suppliers. This is surely deliberate? 'Oh we aren't selling enough so it's not worth it.' Rather than the truth which is:
'It covers its costs and makes a small profit if we distribute it well. Also we could distribute .pdf editions of the same content but we don't. The problem is we find comment in the content that we pu for which we think criticises our running of the club and therefore it does not meet our overall propaganda criteria.'
I readily admit I'm old school regarding programmes. Buying one is just something you do when you go to football. Indeed, can't imagine going to a game and not buying one (although looks like I'm going to have to)
But more than that, it's another attack on the history and tradition of OUR club. As far as I'm aware, the club has produced a programme for every first team game it has played since turning professional. They provide a great history of the club and an insight into different times. To stop producing them for a free advertising sheet is just another slap in the face for long suffering fans.
I'm not [usually] a nasty person but I am seriously beginning to wish ill on KM (presuming she is the fecking idiot behind this brainwave).
Not going to need much more than 7,000 even free, IMO.
I actually had a scheme for a monthly Charlton freesheet distributed through supermarkets across SE London / Kent in 2006/7 but it was speculative and didn't survive relegation. Couldn't link it to matches, though, because the distribution networks for doing this have their own timetable, and anyway it would have made no commercial sense to do so.
This is all about doing what they do on the continent, as are her ongoing ideas to move away from Saturday 3pm kick-off times. It has nothing to do with a coherent business plan.
I can also see these freebies being thrown onto the pitch and around the ground making for a bigger clean up bill. I am sure that KM will hate employing more cleaners.
Other things that go on in football in Belgium i will comment on later.
Twitter isn't the same and the club website itself is pretty frustrating to use. There's something nice about having a magazine style publication to read at leisure or during half time.