If there is a “Black Friday” for retailers tomorrow, there must have been a “Black Wednesday” for newspapers yesterday although frankly, “Black Friday” should be a misnomer for business.  Black Friday historically refers to the day the stock market collapsed in 1929.  More appropriately, businesses might think of calling it “Green Friday” because they hope to see so much green that their business year succeeds.

Regardless of the color, the importance of the day after Thanksgiving is the reason yesterday’s newspaper put a strain on the plastic bag that kept most of it dry.  Executive Director Doug Crews prefers not to call it “Black Wednesday.” He suggests “Golden Wednesday.”

It’s because the newspaper on the day before Thanksgiving is the day we get the thickest newspaper of the year, especially–he says–for daily newspapers in communities with a good retail business center. 

Even weeklies are traditionally bigger—and earlier. Many of them move up their publication by a day to get papers out before Thanksgiving day.

Incidentally, the day after is not likely to be the biggest shopping day of the year, as is traditionally thought.  The International Council of Shopping Centers ranked no better than fourth to eighth in the years 1993-2002.  Bigger days in those years were those in the week before Christmas.

 Crews and Priddy talk about a colorful Wednesday 4:18 mp3