Rebranding St. Pete Times Is an Opportunity, Experts Say

ST. PETERSBURG – The announcement Tuesday by the St. Petersburg Times to change its name to the Tampa Bay Times surprised many locals who grew up with the paper as the go-to source for information about their city.

"Maybe it's pride, but because they are becoming more popular throughout the area isn't a reason to ignore the historic association with this great paper," Kai Warren posted on the new Facebook Page, “Keep the Names of the newspaper the St. Petersburg Times.”

But the decision, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2012, may have been inevitable for the newspaper company as it struggles to compete in a digital age, according to St. Petersburg marketing and media experts.

“From the Times' perspective, there is no loss,” said Robert Dardenne, chair and associate professor of Journalism and Media Studies at USF Saint Petersburg.

“The Times already is a strong regional paper," Dardenne noted. "What the name change does, from my perception, is confirm what is in existence."

In its announcement Tuesday, the Times article noted that 75 percent of its readers don't live in St. Petersburg.

“There is a need for print publications to appeal to a broader reach to survive,’’ Dardenne said.

Philip Trocchia, associate marketing professor at USF St. Petersburg, echoed the assessment. Rebranding the newspaper presents an opportunity “to increase distribution around Tampa Bay" and stem ad revenue losses to digital media.

“There are readers in Tampa and Sarasota who may not want to buy the paper, because it has the St Pete Times name,'' he said. Trocchia predicted that a boost in circulation may follow but it may not last.

“Overall newspaper circulation is decreasing every year drastically. It will be like a wave. Circulation will go up, but then it will go down again after that.”

An Innovation or Identity Loss?

Bill Mitchell, a faculty member of the nonprofit Poynter Institue, which owns the St. Petersburg Times, said he was surprised to learn about the new name.

"As someone with a lot of sentimental attachment to the St. Pete Times name (I did an internship there in the summer of 1970; I work for the school that owns the paper; I live in the city that bears its name), I was a bit stunned to see the staff note from Paul Tash reporting the new name of Tampa Bay Times," Mitchel said Tuesday.  

But Mitchell also sees the decision as a smart move.

"Cities need to think regionally. News organizations need to move beyond old ways of framing their audiences," he said, describing the change as an "innovation worthy of the guy whose name remains attached the school he set up to own his paper."

But veteran journalist Susan Mernit offers a different viewpoint. She argues that the change represents a loss for readers.

Mernit is a media entrepreneur and founder of Oakland Local, an independent online news site in California. She said that the Oakland Tribune has debated whether to abandon its city name for "Easy Bay."

Mernit thinks such decisions are a mistake, and create distance between the media and the core readership they need to reach.

"As more media become consolidated and corporate, the name change may be accurate," she said. "The implication of place name is that there is a commitment to cover news in that community. There is an implied promise.

"When the original legacy paper cannot or cannot afford to do that – or have that focus anymore – there is a loss."