UPDATE 3/10/06 'Washington Post' To Cut 80 Newsroom Jobs, Sources Say
I'm an old geezer, and I grew up with newspapers. Delivered them, worked at them, etc. But, WoW, do times change.
Last Saturday, on the sidewalk outside Trader Joe's in Lafayette, a card table with a guy offering free S.F.Chronicles. Later that day, a mail from the S.F.Chronicle offering a huge discount for subscribing.
Sunday, on the internet, an anecdote from a guy, fully fed up, calling the NYTimes to unsubscribe, and being offered a 50% off resubscription.
Today, in my email, an astonishing offer from the MercNews offering 2/3ds off for a print subscription.
Do we detect a sea-change?
Just wondering.
2 comments:
Somehow the beginning of the decline of the Grand Old Whatevers coincides oh, maybe 15 years ago, with the disappearance of the opportunity to make money as a child/teenager delivering the papers. I was not a victim of that event (pizza delivery was more lucrative for a student and drew me prior), but I could see it happening. In my recollection, the adult paper delivery folk appeared before the internet.
In addition to the young carriers, I feel for all the animal care facilities out there which rely on donated newspapers to line the bottoms of the holding cages! And what will we wrap breakables in when moving?
How sad...like the demise of the paper shopping bag...
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