Sunday, October 25, 2009
PAPERED OVER
Today, Kevin Drum writes about the life expectancy of newspapers. Hard copy that is. Newsprint.
He postulates that three or four things will knock the papers off by 2015. Or sooner.
One is that the newspaper is expendable in a poor economy with excellent alternatives. $500 dollars a year is a lot of money.
Second, the decreasing sales is leading to deterioration of the product as staff is fired and sections downsized or eliminated completely.
Third, the paper reader is in the older generation and we are dying off.
He cites the LATimes which we take. You "take" a paper. Somehow you don't buy it. Maybe that is part of the problem. They did act like utilities once. I take my electricity and gas. The only source.
I have been close to stopping the LATimes. But it makes for a great half hour or more in the morning. A breakfast companion.
One good thing about the LATimes, I think, is that as they shut down their expensive stuff (international and national reporters, the magazine and so on) they enhanced local, regional and statewide coverage. There is no alternative to this and they do a very good job.
I am still on for the duration.
Another interesting thing is that the LATimes has done a remarkably quick job of turning its web edition around. It is actually pretty good now.
This seems to be a bit suicidal. But they have to do it. Otherwise they are dead, dead.
And it means that the LATimes will be there for me on line when I give up the paper.
I know I will be able to live without it. I have given up far more dependent things in recent years (running, smoking, hiking, outdoor bicycling, going out to the movies, for a few). And I don't really miss them too much. I still have an occasional smoking dream or think about a smoke when I am in just the right situation. If I see a runner I sort of drift out of body over to his form and feel the wind in my face and the burn in my legs.
Maybe I can get the same bit of lift from the on line paper. A bit of the smell of pulp and ink. The feel of big paper in my hands.
A life long newspaper reader. I just didn't know it would be the paper that would expire before I do.
In any case, it will be a race to the finish. If it has to be one of us who dies first, let it be the LATimes. I will handle it.
Labels: culture, internet, life, technology
