When they function as they should, computers are a Godsend to newspapers. But a technology failure that takes out the newsroom system can be devastating. That’s what happened Dec. 8 when The San Diego Union-Tribune experienced a catastrophic computer failure while on deadline for the Sunday newspaper.
While the computer failure shouldn’t have happened and, at best, should have been planned for, how it was handled reveals a communications breakdown the Union-Tribune must address and fix.
There were three catastrophic failures on Dec. 8 and 9. The computer system failed; the phone system was overwhelmed, and the newspaper did not take enough initiative to alert readers there were problems.
Although breaking news stories were locked up in the failed computer system, an edition was cobbled together by switching to a secondary system used primarily in newspaper design but that lacks the specialization and capabilities of the main system. The newspaper that resulted arrived late and for most readers, in two parts. For most subscribers, even the complete newspaper was missing breaking stories, including the 5.2 earthquake in northern Mexico and the Potrero fire.
Why was the newspaper delivered in two parts? In the early morning hours of Dec. 9, a decision was made to deliver the sections in hand, said Mike Proebstle, circulation director. They included the features sections, advertising inserts and other parts of the newspaper that because of volume and press capacity must be printed early. The news sections would be delivered as soon as available.
Delivery of the newspaper in two parts baffled and further angered many already upset readers who picked up their late Union-Tribune expecting it to be complete. Although a message was placed on the Subscriber Services line about 5 a.m. informing readers about problems, many who called did not hear it because the telephone system was so swamped.
Thus, most had no way of knowing that the news sections would be delivered in a second wave. Also, they were not told about the computer failure that resulted in the most unusual edition in the newspaper’s 133-year history.
People worked through the night to produce and deliver a newspaper. But other than a phone message most people couldn’t access, no other effort was made until it was too late to tell subscribers there were problems. Ralph Imhof, operations director, the person who knew the most about what was going on, had his hands full. “We were trying to get the editorial system back up and lay out a plan for producing the paper late,” Imhof said.
Readers upset about the missing news sections did what most of us would do, said Betty Heidrich, telecommunications manager. They began calling the newspaper long before 7 a.m., when the switchboard opened. In fact, so many people called that the telephone system malfunctioned.
When readers who tried to report receipt of an incomplete paper saw the news sections in the second delivery, the problem became clear, sort of. Some copies included a front-page note to readers explaining there had been production problems and a forced consolidation of the Bulldog Edition and the normal Sunday paper.
“What’s a Bulldog edition,” some readers wondered. The next day, it was explained in a front-page apology from Editor Karin Winner. Winner explained the Bulldog Edition is intended for Saturday street sales, not for home delivery.
It’s too bad the Union-Tribune did not have pre-printed notices to send out with the paper advising readers of the service disruption. It’s also too bad there are no systems in place to automatically dial or e-mail subscribers to let them know of the delay.
In e-mails and phone calls, readers questioned why there was no telephone recording to let them know there was a production problem and that the newspaper would be late. As noted, Subscriber Services had a message on its line, but there is no such procedure for the main number.
Some questioned why there was no information in the early hours on SignOn San Diego, the newspaper’s Web site. Again, it was a matter of communications. SignOn is staffed seven days a week, but not on a 24-hour basis, said Chris Jennewein, the Union-Tribune’s director of Internet operations. The first worker in at 8 a.m. noticed something was amiss and notified his supervisor. By about 8:30 a.m., it was confirmed there was a problem. Shortly afterward, a notice was placed saying there had been printing problems and news sections would not be delivered until 11 a.m.
The newspaper also got word to television and radio about the breakdown, but again it was too little, too late.
The newspaper was thinking about its readers when it tried everything possible to the get news out to them. The problem was the readers weren’t told about those efforts or about what was going on until it was too late.
