The Anniston Turnaround:
A Case Study

“It Was a Company That Needed Fixing”

—J.C. Blucher Ehringhaus III, President and Co-Publisher, Consolidated Publishing Company, Inc., Anniston, Alabama

In Summer 2023, The ORG Detectives began working closely with Consolidated Publishing Co., Inc., based in Anniston, Alabama to improve the company's outlook. Consolidated publishes two twice-weeklies (The Anniston Star and The Daily Home), a requestor weekly (The St. Clair Times), and two glossy magazines (one monthly, the other quarterly). We believe it shows much courage for a business — in this case a storied company that began publishing The Anniston Hot Blast in 1911 — to admit it could use some help. Our firm thanks the publishers and numerous staff members for being willing to go on camera to reflect aloud on the ongoing turnaround project. For a comprehensive list of the various change projects within the turnaround effort, scroll to the bottom or download the case study PDF.

A Moment of Truth

In September 2023, the ownership communicated clearly to all staff that despite a reduction-in-force several months earlier, the company was still suffering significant losses and needed to change how it operated on multiple levels. Not only did operating expenses need to be cut dramatically, but significant new revenue had to be generated by creating new products and making a more dramatic commitment to digital advertising products. The choice was clear: change the dance steps or cease to be a viable company.

“You’ve Got to Trust Someone.”

In this video, President and Co-Publisher J.C. Blucher Ehringhaus III reflects on the ongoing turnaround project. Mr. Ehringhaus stepped into his current role when his sister, Josephine Ehringhaus Ayers, passed away in November 2023 at age 83. Ms. Ayers was married to H. Brandt Ayers, who had led his family’s newspaper from 1965 until about a year before he died in May 2020.

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Numbers Told the Story

Analysis identified which editions of the newspapers were the largest money losers. After those were swiftly eliminated, the harder work began of creating new products, including a glossy magazine called Foothills and topical enewsletters that very quickly attained open rates of 25 to 40 percent. Analyzing sales data, a new commission plan was instituted that did a better job of motivating reps to reach gross revenue goals. As sales reps left or retired, new reps were hired who still esteemed print but who had a strong inclination toward digital.

Leading with Local

Editorial stopped running stale news from national and international syndication. A portion of the state wire was preserved, but the newsroom doubled down on hyperlocal coverage, including prep and local college sports. In order that the newsroom could focus more on content creation, pagination was outsourced to a third-party (though one of the displaced workers immediately went to work for the vendor). A “daily digital” culture began to be created whereby stories were posted immediately rather than all at once on print production days. The digital reader’s user experience became of foremost importance.     

Beyond House Ads

Traditionally, newspapers never had to market themselves in the community. That’s not the case anymore, as there is so much more competition these days for readership and advertising. The ORG Detectives conducted online surveys and focus groups to understand the desires of East Alabama’s readership market. The company began experimenting with new branding and design while deploying multi-channel ad campaigns that included radio, billboards, third-party magazines, mass mailings and in-person kiosks.

Identifying Internal Change Agents

At the time that The ORG Detectives became involved, the client was without an on-the-ground general manager. Our firm created a number of committees (Design, Analytics, Editorial, and Advertising) within which the change projects were kicked off. Working together closely, it became clear which staff enjoyed leading and supporting change. Those individuals were elevated into roles and positions where they could have an even greater influence on change projects.

Responding to Opposition

“Ignore the consultants. They’ll go away soon.”

Change is hard on a staff for a number of very understandable reasons. Nonetheless, it is crucial that everyone on staff get aligned with the new strategy. In this project, a few employees left the company once they realized the owners were going to be relentless in their quest for change — and the consultants were not going away until ownership determined their job was done. In all, The ORG Detectives were engaged with the client for 31 continuous months.

Buying Crucial Time

More than two years after beginning the change work, the publishers are adamant the turnaround is far from complete. However, they will tell you the company is in a better place now to take its evolution to the next level. There are in place a number of critical structures, such as an annual budget, an org chart, and a marketing plan. The company is more liquid than it was before and can closely predict its month-to-month cash flows. There is an enhanced culture of innovation, not just in terms of new products, but in terms of continually improving processes.

Changes and Improvements, by Area

    • Recruited a fractional CFO and contract bookkeeper to improve financial controls and launch annual budgeting.

    • Assessed the profitability of each publication and each of a given publication’s editions. 

    • Empowered the company to revisit vendor contracts; technology and other services expenses were reduced by six figures annually.

    • Analyzed potential savings of outsourcing ad design and pagination; the move also freed up editorial staff to focus on higher-value work.

    • Recommended new financial, advertising, and other software systems; onboarded and trained employees as needed.

    • Created newsletters on niche topics, including weekend things-to-do, news from an individual town, outdoors activities, positive news, breaking news, and daily headlines.

    • Project-managed development of a regional glossy magazine.

    • Pivoted newsroom strategy to hyper-local coverage and reduced reliance on wire content.

    • Consolidated the features and news desks into one main editorial flow.

    • Reinforced urgency in the newsroom by encouraging same-day posting of articles and breaking news alerts (email and app). 

    • Coached reporters on how to use tools such as iMovie to tell stories through video.

    • Expanded ad inventory to include website ad placements and newsletters.

    • Introduced sales training to build digital competency.

    • Adjusted ad pricing rubrics and commission structures to ensure profitability and incentivize digital sales.

    • Worked with a vendor to customize an A.I. to train new sales reps.

    • Developed new information systems to track revenue progress against goals.

    • Helped stabilize subscription numbers by encouraging short-term price reductions.

    • Directed multi-channel marketing including billboard ads, radio, mass mailings, events, and sampling initiatives.

    • Partnered with outside creative teams to modernize product branding.

    • Activated focus groups and ran surveys to guide messaging and company strategy.

    • Collaborated with ownership to create an organizational chart clarifying authority and accountability.

    • Instituted regular meeting cadences, end-quarter reporting, and strategy summits.

    • Worked with owners to foster transparency into the company’s financial position and to conduct open communication with staff.

    • Strengthened culture by coaching managers on how to operate in a fast-change environment.

    • Advocated for visible, daily, on-the-ground leadership to sustain the momentum of change.

    • Empowered managers to create continuous quality improvement within their teams. 

If you are struggling as a newspaper to turn the page, you’re not alone.


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