No news as newspaper ferry breaks down 8/4/13
It’s a bad start for the changeover to an afternoon ferry newspaper distribution
after the MV Hebrides broke down on the first day of her paper run.
As Hebrides News revealed last Wednesday, daily papers for the Uists are now arriving
via the Lochmaddy ferry.
But the MV Hebrides was stuck in Tarbert with the Uist-bound newspapers stranded
in Skye this morning.
The vessel was repaired later but will not dock at Lochmaddy until 3.15pm meaning
the newspapers will not reach island shops until almost teatime.
Piles of unsold bundles are expected tonight as most customers will have given up
and deliveries arriving almost too late for shops’ closing times.
From now, ferry and weather permitting, daily newspapers will arrive later each day
- up to five hours every second day.
Unlike many local weekly papers, heavy competition has resulted in the daily newspaper
market cutting advertising charges and holding down cover prices making the plane
charter too expensive.
Only the Press and Journal will arrive in the mornings as they come on the Inverness
to Stornoway/Benbecula passenger plane. However, they will not make it to Uist and
Benbecula on Monday and Fridays as the council scrapped the onward return flights
on these days.