Chattanooga, Tenn. newspaper plans to distribute free iPads to subscribers as it goes digital-only six days a week
The Chattanooga Times Free Press is spending millions on Apple iPads for its subscribers as it goes "digital only" 6 days a week.
No more newspapers
- Thread starter CourierDriver
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4WD
$50 site donor 2023
I got a digital script to a Houston paper only to find it was a California paper …
Never had a subscription. Don't want that junk in my home.
Certainly don't want to financially support it.
Certainly don't want to financially support it.
We had the local paper for decades. They gradually reduced delivery to twice a week, but with Covid they couldn't even manage that. After several weeks of frustration we finally switched to digital-only. The funny part is for the last 4 weeks I've found a free Sunday paper at the end of my driveway. They just can't get their act together anymore.
I stopped delivery years ago. I signed up for a Sunday-only trial for 6 weeks. Either didn't get the paper at all or I didn't get it in a readable form 3 out of the 6 weeks. One Sunday the paper landed on the driveway so that the open end of the bag faced the direction the paper was thrown so when the bag hit the driveway, inertia kept the contents going and the paper was scattered on the driveway. Fortunately, it was pouring rain at the time so the water made the paper stick to the asphalt.
Mom quit her delivery 3 years ago. The paper rarely made it to the porch and she'd have to ask the neighbor to find it in the bushes because she's not able to get around much. She also didn't like the 'up to 26 weeks' clause in the subscription which was closer to 19 weeks after the publisher charged extra for 'special editions' including the Thanksgiving edition which one would think the ads would have covered the cost. The final straw was when I had to climb on the roof to get the paper one morning.
They did this to themselves, IMHO.
Mom quit her delivery 3 years ago. The paper rarely made it to the porch and she'd have to ask the neighbor to find it in the bushes because she's not able to get around much. She also didn't like the 'up to 26 weeks' clause in the subscription which was closer to 19 weeks after the publisher charged extra for 'special editions' including the Thanksgiving edition which one would think the ads would have covered the cost. The final straw was when I had to climb on the roof to get the paper one morning.
They did this to themselves, IMHO.
I was an avid newspaper reader all my life. Sampled papers from everywhere I went but finally said;
when they all went
when they all went
Cancelled mine a few years ago for very similar reasons. Reading news online though is just not the same. There’s something about the tactile feel while holding and turning the pages of a newspaper.
still get the paper 6 days per week...although it's a shell of what it used to be. I'm a big believer that local news coverage is important to a functioning democracy...it will be a shame when there is no longer local coverage (or minimal coverage) of city government, state government, school boards, etc. A 'free press' keeps people more honest and accountable.
Those in power have always preferred to not have a pesky press corps asking 'questions'..
Those in power have always preferred to not have a pesky press corps asking 'questions'..
The local newspaper here imploded because the pension plan that they set up for their employees bankrupted them. It's an Illinois thing. Lots of complete financial illiterates everywhere.
It was then bought out by an out of state firm that specializes in salvaging struggling newspapers. Staffing was slashed, they downsized their facilities, dropped the Monday edition (which had been worthless for years anyway), sold the printing press and farmed out the actual printing of the papers to an out of town firm (and then trucks them in) and also went online.
Now, the dead tree version is bad, and the online version is worse. I have not received a bill from them in over a year. I send them so much a month for a weekend only dead tree subscription and unlimited online access. I know their prices have increased, but until they notify me of a price increase, I'll continue to pay them the old rate.
It was then bought out by an out of state firm that specializes in salvaging struggling newspapers. Staffing was slashed, they downsized their facilities, dropped the Monday edition (which had been worthless for years anyway), sold the printing press and farmed out the actual printing of the papers to an out of town firm (and then trucks them in) and also went online.
Now, the dead tree version is bad, and the online version is worse. I have not received a bill from them in over a year. I send them so much a month for a weekend only dead tree subscription and unlimited online access. I know their prices have increased, but until they notify me of a price increase, I'll continue to pay them the old rate.
25 years ago I did work at the Dow Jones printing plant, where they printed the Wall Street Journal. They had 2 press lines that were humming every night to get the paper on the news stands by AM. A few years ago they shut it down and moved it out of the country. Then they tore the building down to boot. I guess the knew "paper news" was never coming back.,,,
I quit having the paper delivered almost 10 years ago, there was too much drama with the delivery so I gave it up. Wasn't worth the hassle.
I still prefer the smell, the feel, the whole experience of reading a newspaper.
I still prefer the smell, the feel, the whole experience of reading a newspaper.
The media gas always been left. I want the facts the who what, when, where, why , how. I hated the media since the John F. Kennedy Assassination. I was ten years old then and I realized the reporting was to fool and manipulate the thoughts of the viewers. I pretty much hate Tv . What really disgusts me is the Tv news the Man talking head says a sentence, then the talking head Woman finishes the other sentence etc.I was an avid newspaper reader all my life. Sampled papers from everywhere I went but finally said;
when they all went
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A strong press, regardless of how one feels they lean, is an important piece of keeping institutions, companies, government, and people accountable.
Take away traditional bodies, replace them with instant, pop up online, and non fact based "reporting" and wonder how and why people fall for so much disinformation.
When your local paper folds, and then you are shocked to find out what your local politicians are up to, you've got nobody to blame but yourself.
Take away traditional bodies, replace them with instant, pop up online, and non fact based "reporting" and wonder how and why people fall for so much disinformation.
When your local paper folds, and then you are shocked to find out what your local politicians are up to, you've got nobody to blame but yourself.
I'm older and long retired. I also live in the same metro area as MNgopher and I certainly realize the media issues related by previous posters. Long ago, there were usually both right and left views expounded, often by competing news outfits. Today, many 'big cities' have none of that balance anymore and the editorial page has slowly spread to the rest of the paper. Probably about the same in the shrinking small towns with a different viewpoint.
I stopped delivery almost 20 years ago when they kept jacking the subscription prices on something I didn't read everyday. I was literally putting unread papers in the recycling bin. Don't miss it at all. My local paper is now online and if I need a paper, I'll just buy one.
Picked up the San Antonio Express News paper this past Sunday. Issue much smaller than I remember. Less Ad's in the paper as well as less content. Didn't enjoy the content either. $4.00 for a thin Sunday paper.
Been getting the Washington Post delivered 7 days a week since the Washington Star folded back in the 80's. Reading the paper on a computer is impossible or very uncomfortable if you are reading it in bed or on the throne. Not to mention if you want to cut out and save an article, restaurant review or coupon. The only thing I miss is the car classifieds. Used to be a 20 page section every Friday Saturday and Sunday. Now less than a dozen ads. But at $25 a month, the coupons on Sunday pretty much cover the subscription. Plus it saves having to buy packing peanuts for my Ebay sales.
4WD
$50 site donor 2023
But don’t you love the pop ups from the car dealerships ? (I just ask if she’s single and they vanish)
Haven't had newspaper sub in well over 20 years. We were rural customers at the time and delivery service was terrible.
