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Last time you buyed a print newspaper

Started by bandit957, March 26, 2023, 01:12:10 AM

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bandit957

The print version of the Cincinnati Enquirer is down to just a few pages, even on Sundays. The Sunday edition used to have 12 sections sometimes. They also changed the page size from a broadsheet to a tabloid.

But the online version isn't very big either. Most of it is just human interest stories and real estate deals, but every minor high school sporting event gets its own article. It doesn't have hardly any hard news stories.
Might as well face it, pooing is cool


Ted$8roadFan

Quote from: bandit957 on March 31, 2023, 11:28:00 AM
The print version of the Cincinnati Enquirer is down to just a few pages, even on Sundays. The Sunday edition used to have 12 sections sometimes. They also changed the page size from a broadsheet to a tabloid.

But the online version isn't very big either. Most of it is just human interest stories and real estate deals, but every minor high school sporting event gets its own article. It doesn't have hardly any hard news stories.

Gannett and its fellow chains have greatly diminished the papers that they own even more than the natural Internet-led decline.

mgk920

Before WWII, the Sunday comics sections were thicker than dailies were by the 1990s.

That said, I pretty much stopped buying newspapers to read while eating lunch due to their writing becoming more and more unreadable, primarily due to increasingly 'in your face' political biases and non-stop 'touchy-feely' lecturing.

:no:

Mike

mgk920

Quote from: Ted$8roadFan on March 31, 2023, 01:07:09 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on March 31, 2023, 11:28:00 AM
The print version of the Cincinnati Enquirer is down to just a few pages, even on Sundays. The Sunday edition used to have 12 sections sometimes. They also changed the page size from a broadsheet to a tabloid.

But the online version isn't very big either. Most of it is just human interest stories and real estate deals, but every minor high school sporting event gets its own article. It doesn't have hardly any hard news stories.

Gannett and its fellow chains have greatly diminished the papers that they own even more than the natural Internet-led decline.

Sad, and distressing, isn't it?

:angry:

Mike

hbelkins

Quote from: Ted$8roadFan on March 31, 2023, 01:07:09 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on March 31, 2023, 11:28:00 AM
The print version of the Cincinnati Enquirer is down to just a few pages, even on Sundays. The Sunday edition used to have 12 sections sometimes. They also changed the page size from a broadsheet to a tabloid.

But the online version isn't very big either. Most of it is just human interest stories and real estate deals, but every minor high school sporting event gets its own article. It doesn't have hardly any hard news stories.

Gannett and its fellow chains have greatly diminished the papers that they own even more than the natural Internet-led decline.

I hear similar complaints about the Courier-Journal.

What bugs me is all the corporate papers' Web sites all look the same. The C-J's pages look just like the Cincy Enquirer. In Lexington the Herald-Leader's pages look like any other McClatchy paper's Web site.

Gannett has been closing printing plants. The H-L (McClatchy) closed its press in Lexington and started printing at the C-J in Louisville. Then, the C-J press shut down. I don't know where the C-J is printed now, but have been told that the H-L prints in Knoxville. That means a trip across Pine Mountain (known to most as Jellico Mountain) to bring the printed product, and bad weather or a wreck somewhere on I-75 can mean huge delivery problems.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

bandit957

I think the Cincinnati Enquirer is printed in Columbus now.
Might as well face it, pooing is cool

OCGuy81

I actually kind of liked reading a paper the last time I bought one.  Maybe it was a bit nostalgic.

I'm much the same way with books.  I much prefer an actual book over reading one on my Kindle.  Something about holding it and turning the pages.

1995hoo

Quote from: OCGuy81 on March 31, 2023, 03:18:48 PM
....

I'm much the same way with books.  I much prefer an actual book over reading one on my Kindle.  Something about holding it and turning the pages.

I like a real book too, but my problem has been that a lot of my reading over the years has involved lengthy book series in which I'm caught up with the author and am awaiting the next release, which (prior to my getting a Kindle) I would then buy in hardcover. As much as a full-sized hardcover is nice to read when you're sitting in your chair at home, it is downright inconvenient when you're standing in a crowded subway car or when you have a limited amount of space in your carry-on luggage to fly somewhere. I suppose another consideration on the subway is that if it takes two hands to manipulate the book you're reading, it means you have to set whatever bag you might be carrying on the floor, which is not ideal both because of dirt and because of the possibility of theft. (I am not a "backpack person" and have not been since I graduated from law school 25 years ago, but even then, a backpack is far from ideal on a really crowded subway car both because of how it smacks other people and because it's easy for someone else to steal from it if you don't take it off your back.)

The Kindle is also better for use while sitting on the toilet (in our upstairs hall bathroom, I can set the Kindle on the magazine rack and not even have to hold it).
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

OCGuy81

Quote from: 1995hoo on March 31, 2023, 04:02:20 PM
Quote from: OCGuy81 on March 31, 2023, 03:18:48 PM
....

I'm much the same way with books.  I much prefer an actual book over reading one on my Kindle.  Something about holding it and turning the pages.

I like a real book too, but my problem has been that a lot of my reading over the years has involved lengthy book series in which I'm caught up with the author and am awaiting the next release, which (prior to my getting a Kindle) I would then buy in hardcover. As much as a full-sized hardcover is nice to read when you're sitting in your chair at home, it is downright inconvenient when you're standing in a crowded subway car or when you have a limited amount of space in your carry-on luggage to fly somewhere. I suppose another consideration on the subway is that if it takes two hands to manipulate the book you're reading, it means you have to set whatever bag you might be carrying on the floor, which is not ideal both because of dirt and because of the possibility of theft. (I am not a "backpack person" and have not been since I graduated from law school 25 years ago, but even then, a backpack is far from ideal on a really crowded subway car both because of how it smacks other people and because it's easy for someone else to steal from it if you don't take it off your back.)

The Kindle is also better for use while sitting on the toilet (in our upstairs hall bathroom, I can set the Kindle on the magazine rack and not even have to hold it).

I agree the Kindle has certain built in benefits, which you highlighted, but when I'm on vacation I do find the glare makes it a bit hard to read outdoors.  Do you use that Kindle Paperwhite?  I've heard that alleviates the issue of reading an electronic device outdoors.  I was thinking of picking one up when I go to Hawaii in June,

1995hoo

My Kindle dates to 2010 and still going strong, so it's not a Paperwhite and it doesn't have backlighting–I believe they called the model the Kindle Keyboard. My wife has a newer one because the battery on hers died, but I'm not sure which model we got her.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

SP Cook

Off-topic, but Amazon, for both the Kindle and paper, is getting out of the magazine and newspaper business before the end of September.  Did not announce a reason.

jeffandnicole

My most-local paper, when I was a little lad, was a county-wide paper.  In my youngest of days, it would list the results of every little league game, talk about every tidbit of local news, and was very on-top of whatever was happening in the area.  Every 8 year old strived to have that game-winning double and see their name in the paper the next day.

Over the years, the paper started to lack in this very local news.  It still had some of the bigger stories of the area, but it didn't get into the smaller stuff.  Then I would notice that it would talk about upcoming board council meetings, or what happened at the meetings...but rarely both.  A reporter wasn't going to be bothered to write about what was happening and what actually happened.

Over the past decade or so it merged with a few others to be a tri-county paper, but was part of a state-wide entity.  Staffing was down to just a few reporters to cover an extended area.  The suburban areas of Philly were getting farming information for Cumberland County; Cumberland County was reading about a warehouse issue outside the city.  It was the worst of both worlds for readership, because neither cared about the other, and the reporters had no clue what they were writing about. 

Then, it would just write about state-wide stories, mostly stories from North Jersey.  The local paper wouldn't have any stores from the tri-county area.  Heck, the Philadelphia Eagles were in the Super Bowl. Arguably the biggest sports stage in this country.  On Monday morning, the paper wrote...about the Kelce Brothers being the first brothers to play in the Super Bowl.  It didn't have the decency to wait for the game.  In fact, there wasn't a single story in Monday's paper that had Sunday's information in it.  Even the lottery numbers from the 12:57pm Sunday lottery weren't there.

Politics also clearly ran the paper.  The politicians learned if the reporters wanted some good info, don't write bad crap about them.  Back in the day, the media was the defensive line between the public and the government.  Today, the media joins the government. 

Press releases would almost always be written line for line, without any new information added.  The reporter would simply add their name to the "story" and act as if they wrote it.  But if you did a google search for it, you would find it was basically plagiarized.

So, when you read the Enquirer, the Inquirer, the Times, or whatever paper name is out there, it's a sad, far cry from the paper of yesteryear.  It's a shame, because those papers were fun reads.


Scott5114

Quote from: jeffandnicole on April 01, 2023, 01:08:04 PM
The politicians learned if the reporters wanted some good info, don't write bad crap about them.  Back in the day, the media was the defensive line between the public and the government.  Today, the media joins the government.

This is true about basically all American media these days at every level. (This is not how it works in other countries. It is really funny when a US President goes to another country and has to deal with their press corps, because they are very nearly always taken aback by how much more antagonistic the press is there.)

Quote from: jeffandnicole on April 01, 2023, 01:08:04 PM
Press releases would almost always be written line for line, without any new information added.  The reporter would simply add their name to the "story" and act as if they wrote it.  But if you did a google search for it, you would find it was basically plagiarized.

That's how the Oklahoman, the paper of record for Oklahoma City, has been for years. Rarely if ever do you see them write anything bad about a local company, even when they're doing things like committing bank fraud or cheating on their taxes.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

bandit957

Quote from: Scott5114 on April 01, 2023, 05:02:51 PMThat's how the Oklahoman, the paper of record for Oklahoma City, has been for years. Rarely if ever do you see them write anything bad about a local company, even when they're doing things like committing bank fraud or cheating on their taxes.

This is what all of the Cincinnati media is like.

There's one local news website that actually reprints press releases from the electric utility verbatim as news stories.
Might as well face it, pooing is cool

formulanone

Quote from: Scott5114 on April 01, 2023, 05:02:51 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on April 01, 2023, 01:08:04 PM
The politicians learned if the reporters wanted some good info, don't write bad crap about them.  Back in the day, the media was the defensive line between the public and the government.  Today, the media joins the government.

This is true about basically all American media these days at every level. (This is not how it works in other countries. It is really funny when a US President goes to another country and has to deal with their press corps, because they are very nearly always taken aback by how much more antagonistic the press is there.)


index

I don't think I've ever purchased one, but some guy offered me a free copy of The Alleghany News while stopped at a random gas station outside of Sparta, NC and I took it. I had the exact same thing happen to me in Blairsville, GA with a copy of North Georgia News.
I love my 2010 Ford Explorer.



Counties traveled

hbelkins

Quote from: bandit957 on April 01, 2023, 05:07:28 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 01, 2023, 05:02:51 PMThat's how the Oklahoman, the paper of record for Oklahoma City, has been for years. Rarely if ever do you see them write anything bad about a local company, even when they're doing things like committing bank fraud or cheating on their taxes.

This is what all of the Cincinnati media is like.

There's one local news website that actually reprints press releases from the electric utility verbatim as news stories.

As a PR person now, I'm happy when that happens, and it happens often. Some of the newspapers to whom I send releases even give me a byline.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

jeffandnicole

Quote from: hbelkins on April 01, 2023, 09:12:00 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on April 01, 2023, 05:07:28 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 01, 2023, 05:02:51 PMThat's how the Oklahoman, the paper of record for Oklahoma City, has been for years. Rarely if ever do you see them write anything bad about a local company, even when they're doing things like committing bank fraud or cheating on their taxes.

This is what all of the Cincinnati media is like.

There's one local news website that actually reprints press releases from the electric utility verbatim as news stories.

As a PR person now, I'm happy when that happens, and it happens often. Some of the newspapers to whom I send releases even give me a byline.

As a PR person, absolutely. You did your job. As a reporter, they did a lousy job, because they didn't do any more research into the project or issue.

hbelkins

Quote from: jeffandnicole on April 02, 2023, 06:23:34 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on April 01, 2023, 09:12:00 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on April 01, 2023, 05:07:28 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 01, 2023, 05:02:51 PMThat's how the Oklahoman, the paper of record for Oklahoma City, has been for years. Rarely if ever do you see them write anything bad about a local company, even when they're doing things like committing bank fraud or cheating on their taxes.

This is what all of the Cincinnati media is like.

There's one local news website that actually reprints press releases from the electric utility verbatim as news stories.

As a PR person now, I'm happy when that happens, and it happens often. Some of the newspapers to whom I send releases even give me a byline.

As a PR person, absolutely. You did your job. As a reporter, they did a lousy job, because they didn't do any more research into the project or issue.

To be fair, most of the releases are for routine issues like temporary road closures for drainage pipe replacements, full-width (monolithic) resurfacing projects, and that type of work. Not a lot of embellishing to be done or additional digging by a reporter.

At one of the papers where I worked, there was a standing order from the owner/publisher that no press releases were to be run on the front page. So anytime we got one that was deemed front-page worthy, I would either call to get more information, or rewrite the release. I've used that experience in my current job to try to write the releases to be more informative and less full of fluff that isn't pertinent to the situation. One of my predecessors wouldn't even send press releases. If they needed to close a road, he'd just call the newspaper and tell them what was going on, and put the onus on them to write it up. When I took this job, one of the newspaper editors in my district -- someone I'd known for years -- told me she could never remember getting any news releases from us before.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Urban Prairie Schooner

Sometimes I purchase a copy of the BR Advocate just to marvel at how slender it is (esp. the weekday editions). Even 10-15 years ago it was noticeably bulkier.  The newsprint sometimes comes in handy around the house.

And this is a major locally owned newspaper serving three of the state's largest cities.

Of course the Gannett papers are far worse. I think the Shreveport Times is down to one general assignment reporter and one sports reporter for a metro of 400K.

golden eagle


tchafe1978

I can't remember the last time I "buyed" a print newspaper. It may have been one of the local weekly papers at one time that had an article of interest in it that they don't put on their website. Otherwise, I will read the day old unsold newspapers that my store puts in the break room, but the paper isn't woth buying. Which is a shame, because I would like to support local journalism and like keeping up on local news, but daily newspapers have been so downsized that they aren't worth the price anymore.

Ted$8roadFan

Here is a link to the front pages of today's papers:

https://www.freedomforum.org/todaysfrontpages/#1

Notice how similar many these pages are, especially within states. And this is just the front page.

hbelkins

When I was growing up, the Courier-Journal printed a same-day mailed edition. We would get that day's paper in our mailbox at the post office. It went to press very early, so it did not have a lot of sports scores in it, especially late baseball games. On Sundays, we bought the combined Lexington Herald (morning) and Lexington Leader (afternoon) paper at a nearby country store.

When the C-J discontinued the same-day mailed edition, my dad would pick up the Lexington Herald every morning on his way to work. I don't remember how we got papers on Saturdays or on days when he didn't work due to bad weather, school vacations, etc., but we didn't miss many papers at all. We continued to get the Sunday paper at the country store up the road.

When my dad retired, I brought him a paper every day. At some point, the country store closed but we made arrangements to get the Sunday paper. Eventually, the morning Herald and afternoon Leader merged into the Herald-Leader. My brother and I subscribed to home delivery of the H-L for him one Christmas.

So I grew up with newspapers. When I was in college, I took the Lexington Herald every day. My final semester, when I was teaching two newswriting and reporting classes as a graduate assistant, I took both the Herald and the C-J.

I maintained a H-L subscription all the years I lived away from home until about 2015, when I let it expire due to financial and other considerations. If I hadn't, as it turns out, that decision would probably have been made for me. The H-L seems to have abandoned several counties in eastern Kentucky. There's no home delivery, paper boxes have been empty for years, and the paper doesn't even publish obituaries from area funeral homes anymore except in rare instances.

The fall of the news industry has been hard for me, as someone who grew up reading newspapers and majored in journalism in college and worked in the field for many years, to believe. The newspaper industry has been its own worst enemy, though, and has brought the waning circulation numbers and scorn it receives upon itself.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

formulanone

Quote from: hbelkins on April 08, 2023, 09:16:26 PM
The fall of the news industry has been hard for me, as someone who grew up reading newspapers and majored in journalism in college and worked in the field for many years, to believe. The newspaper industry has been its own worst enemy, though, and has brought the waning circulation numbers and scorn it receives upon itself.

When started delivering papers for a short period of time, I was filling out some paperwork and talked about how they had an online paper, which was pretty novel for the time, but they felt it had to be "free" because this way they'd be out front of any competition. Besides, there really wasn't a online subscription service that they could work out back in 1997, and they only had one webmaster who typed up everything (it wasn't the entire paper, just the equivalent of the first few pages of each section). There weren't even any ads, which were still kind of a new-ish thing at the time.

I really look back at that question as a pivotal point, since the answer was seen as damned-if-you-do and damned-if-you-don't for the intersection of technologies in that time.



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