OT Re: Newspapers (haven't seen this mentioned on here)

[RocketDawg]

One day last week, Thursday I think, I saw a crawler on television news that the Times-Picayune in New Orleans was cutting back to 3 day a week publication with "enhanced" online presence. I was surprised to hear that, but then when our morning paper arrived (the Huntsville Times), the same thing is happening here.<div>
</div><div>In fact, not only the Times, but the Birmingham Post Herald and the Mobile Press-Register will start 3-day a week paper publication this fall. All 3 newspapers are part of a conglomerate on al.com. They too tried to put a positive spin on it with 24/7 news updates, greatly enhanced coverage online, etc.</div><div>
</div><div>But what it amounts to in my mind is that Alabama (and New Orleans) will not have a major daily printed newspaper. And who wants to have morning coffee or breakfast staring at a computer? And how do you polish your windows or wrap your fish??</div><div>
</div><div>Wouldn't be surprised to see the Clarion Ledger follow suit since they had so much turnover recently, and some of the smaller papers may just cease to exist.</div>

 

[was21]

survive either.

 

[rynodawg]

Times Picayune though is still profitable and actually has the highest intrusion % in the country (percentage of the population that reads a hard copy). I don't know about the Alabama papers, but I think the parent company is making a mistake in New Orleans. Judging by the awful website quality of al.com and Nola.com the company has no idea what they are doing. It's hard to go all digital with an unreadable website.

 

[was21]

subscriptions. Vicksburg paper is one of those...all you can read is the obit page.

 

[Shmuley]

There's a hella bunch of cowbell9s out there who have no use for internets. Advertisers will still want print media to reach blue hairs.

 

[RocketDawg]

I haven't looked recently, but some of the changes supposedly have already been implemented. And they say it'll be the cat's meow by the fall when daily print publications stop. But what else would they say?<div>
</div><div>What they didn't say was whether al.com would become a pay site, and whether subscription rates would be reduced to reflect the reduced publication. I would hope it would be cheaper. And one thing they didn't mention, but there'll be loss of jobs for the carriers, and probably many who work at the papers.
<div>
</div><div>As far as I know, all three of the Alabama papers are still doing well. Circulations are pretty high, and the Times claims a high readership. None of the three cities has more than one daily paper left so there's no competition. Those fell by the wayside several years ago.</div></div>

 

[quickdawg]

Huge mistake in the New Orleans market. Something like just under 40% of New Orleanians aren't online, and I read a great oped piece that pointed out that this kind of move--where not only is the print schedule reduced but both the print and pathetically designed online editions focus on trash news and not the important local news--leaves them and even the online readers much less informed about local/state/federal civic and political news. Basically it will very much hasten the dumbing down of the electorate.

 

[RocketDawg]

how many of the 40% who are not online do not subscribe to the newspaper either? I would venture to guess a large number do not get the paper.<div>
</div><div>Nevertheless, 40% is a huge number. Don't know what the percentage of online users is nationwide, but here it's close to 100%. Everybody I know has several computers too ... and smart phones to boot.</div>

 

[urethrafranklin]

I feel like its a two fold problem for large papers because when you lose subscribers you also lose money from advertisers who won't pay as much. but i think small town papers might not suffer so much since they are cheaper subs, only come out once a week anyway, and are oftentimes the only form of mass advertising for local papers.

 

[quickdawg]

...probably covers a fair number of those not online. There are 132,000 subscribers but 75.5% of NOLA residents actually read a hard copy wherever--coffee shop, bar, airport, beauty shop, etc. That comes out to 256,000+ readers in a city of 340,000.

And I dug the old nola.com but this new design for al.com and nola.com looks like a third grader did it. I can't believe someone got paid to put that mess out there.

 

[was21]

charging for it...in all cases....wave of the future.

 

[dawgs.sixpack]

people still read hard copies of papers? i honestly don't think i've picked up a hard copy of a paper to read in more than a decade.

 

[tupelotim]

How do you know when neck bones are on sale at the Big Star?

 

[RocketDawg]

I enjoy the walk to the end of the driveway in the wee hours of the morning. It's my morning exercise. I've been reading a morning paper with my coffee since I was a wee lad. Just old fashioned I guess ....

 

[dawgs.sixpack]

i'm not saying that there are people that don't read it, but the numbers are dwindling fast. there are probably more people like me who haven't read a paper in years that those that read it every day. and that number is only growing with each new generation.