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Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The last Post?
The National Post's weekend crew will be taking the summer off starting June 1, a cost-cutting decision that will deprive readers of their Monday editions.
Let's see: one edition of six means subscribers will be getting 16.6% fewer papers than they paid for. Will there be a 16.6% refund of their summer payments? Not likely, given parent CanWest's $3.9-billion debt.
Posted by Terry O'Neill on April 29, 2009 in Media | Permalink
Comments
National Post just had a 20% drop in paid circulation year over year. I suspect the next year will be an even larger drop. Probably 30% or half its readership in 2 years (assuming they are around after next month)
The hard copy newsprint business model is dead. Only old farts buy papers and most papers (National Post excluded) merely insult the conservative values of their declining and aging demographic as recent journalism grads with degrees in whining rejoice at briefly seeing their names in print. What a stupid business model - this is why I cheer their demise! The business model will completely collapse when they lose all their endless stupid auto ads when GM and Chrysler go under. National Post should cut their losses now and shut down. Who in their right mind would buy this asset after Canwest declares bankruptcy in a few weeks anyway? Couldn't come sooner. I hate Canwest's dual class voting structure.
And while I like the paper but I don't buy papers cuz I get all the news for free on the 'net. I certainly don't like it enough that I would pay for it. And did I mention their dual class voting structure? Good riddance.
Posted by: epsilon | 2009-04-29 5:50:24 PM
The problem here is that we are all a bunch of freeloaders who won't pay for the real value we get from our favourite papers, magazines, and writers. Or at least not enough of us will.
We'll miss the MSM when it's gone.
Posted by: Craig | 2009-04-29 6:04:13 PM
90% of the MSM does nothing but insult my values day after day. And while the National Post did not insult my values, they refuse to let me vote my shares due to their dual class voting structure. So they cannot die soon enough.
Posted by: epsilon | 2009-04-29 6:12:11 PM
Saw it coming and cancelled my pre-paid what a great deal subsciption.
Posted by: Pat | 2009-04-29 6:17:09 PM
The printed newspaper is not dead. The Calgary Herald has actually seen a healthy rise in both print and online readership.
It's what you do with a paper that makes or breaks it, but printed newspapers will be around for a long time to come.
Posted by: Werner Patels | 2009-04-29 8:53:05 PM
The Post is a shell of its former glory. I've stopped reading it. They don't even have a TV Guide anymore. What's the point? I hope they simply discontinue it.
Posted by: Realist | 2009-04-29 10:46:20 PM
But seriously, reading news on the internet is hardly the same as holding a paper in my hand. When you're reading news on the net it's a different experience and studies have proven that you don't retain the information. When you read a newspaper, you focus only on the newspaper - it is truly reading. I think we should be lamenting the demise of the printed press not celebrating it. Having said that, I can write a book about what ills the Post. They do need to fold.
Posted by: Realist | 2009-04-29 10:51:56 PM
Funny, I'm just the opposite Realist. I seldom read papers but I hate having to go through the whole paper to scan every article haedline for something that might be of interest. So much ads and crap.
With online paper, I can quickly scan all the headlines, click and read what I want and I often like reading reader comments on the article.
If it's a story I want to follow closely, I can check in for updates.
If I want more information, I like to cut and paste headlines or key words and google or wiki them.
I find it saves time and I like having more control of the content and having ready options to get more info.
It all boils down to habits I think and what you are accustomed to.
Posted by: epsilon | 2009-04-30 1:41:53 PM
Dropping Mondays does not necessarily entail a 16% reduction in content, Terry. It could all be made up in bigger papers on other days. Surely the big and important Monday stories will find their way into Tuesday's edition...
Posted by: Grant Brown | 2009-04-30 11:15:25 PM
Perhaps old habits die hard. I will be reading books and newspapers when I'm in my deathbed, hopefully not before at least 50 years from now.
Posted by: Realist | 2009-05-01 9:50:01 PM
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