Do you buy a newspaper anymore? - Freeze-Frame Radio

Jeremy Riggs · 2011 Super Bowl Champions!

Do you buy a newspaper anymore?

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

I watched a show about this on PBS last week. Apparently the majority of news sources come from the papers. But I don't read the paper, and never really have. I get some of my news online, but mostly I watch the Newshour With Jim Lehrer on PBS.

Jeremy Riggs · 2011 Super Bowl Champions!

Hartz, was it FRONTLINE?

I saw part 3 of a 4 part series on Frontline this weekend, which is what got me thinking about this.

The episode I saw was more about the demise of the network nightly newscast, and how TV News had become more about entertainment than actual reporting, but it made me think about the Newspapers and how outdated the entire concept is starting to feel.

I mean really, when you think about the idea of an army of people going door to door to deliver a paper full of what is by todays standards TRULY "old news".

I have to believe my sisters children (when she has some) will think of the newspaper delivery like I think of the milkman. I know it existed. Most of the houses in my neighborhood still have the old milk chutes built into them (although the exterior is almost always sided over now), but it seems so antiquated I can't imagine it actually used to be done that way.

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

We get the paper daily. My husband has to have Friday's paper for the tv guide and I have to have Sunday's paper for coupons. Our newspaper does not offer a package to get Friday, Sat and Sunday, and sometimes we would forget or be too lazy to go get a paper so we do the daily delivery. It's only 13.25 a month and I know that my coupons make me at least break even, most months I come out ahead.

But there is a lot of truth in what you said. I do not read the paper everyday and most of the stuff I found online. But for local events and school related stuff, I do read the local section everyday. I could not function without it- it is what I use to plan our weekend activities.

JD The Jazz Doctor · Grand Poobah

www.jsonline.com for milwaukee news
cnn.com
msnbc.com
for national and international news.

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

Yeah, I think it was Frontline, same episode.

I like the feeling of a newspaper, sitting back, having coffee, reading it, but the fact is, I don't do that. I don't leave myself time in the morning, and just like you said, by time I get home at night it's old news.

I don't know if newspapers will go away completely. But I think they are going to have to drastically change their format. In the Frontline show, one newspaper in Florida reported on only local stuff and built an awesome website with cams and online broadcasts of high school games and such. I think that's the direction the paper will need to go in.

Jeremy Riggs · 2011 Super Bowl Champions!

I bet that the coupons in large part are saving the papers butt right now.

Like you said, if you use them, they save you a lot of money. Usually when I buy a Sunday paper I basically feel like I got it for free because I'll use $5 - $10 worth of coupons out of it.

Unfortunately, the local section of our paper really isn't very detailed or useful to me. I wish it were better, because I would like more information on what's going on in my specific neighborhood. Although I'd be perfectly happy getting that online too if it were available.

I think Newspapers will die a slow death, naturally passing away with age.

The 20 somethings will become 30 somethings that don't buy papers, then 40 somethings that don't buy papers, then 50 somethings that don't buy papers.

At some point the newspaper companies won't be able to afford selling a paper to the few 60 year olds and older that still buy it and they'll close up shop.

Jeremy Riggs · 2011 Super Bowl Champions!

MzHartz wrote:

Yeah, I think it was Frontline, same episode.

I like the feeling of a newspaper, sitting back, having coffee, reading it, but the fact is, I don't do that. I don't leave myself time in the morning, and just like you said, by time I get home at night it's old news.

I don't know if newspapers will go away completely. But I think they are going to have to drastically change their format. In the Frontline show, one newspaper in Florida reported on only local stuff and built an awesome website with cams and online broadcasts of high school games and such. I think that's the direction the paper will need to go in.

Right. If they have ANY chance of surving in print they'll HAVE to be combined with some electronic media type items. Perhaps only allowing access to the digital aspect if you subscribe to the print version?

Then again, if they're successful online, maybe they'll find there's no reason to offer a print version.

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

I tried buying Sunday papers for the coupons for a while. But I found I'd clip all these coupons, go into the store, and the store brand would still be cheaper or on sale as well. And now that I can't even eat most store brands, it totally makes no sense to get a paper.

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

Nah, our local paper does the digital access only if you buy a subscription, so no one goes to their website.I think with a strong digital presence and in depth local reporting, they'd be able to sell more physical papers. If ours was more local, I'd probably buy it. But half the time, our front page story is an AP article.

allycat · Cat Scratch Diva

We will pick up a Sunday paper if we are looking at houses that day....otherwise I use online stuff or look at mom's paper when I am there.

Jeremy Riggs · 2011 Super Bowl Champions!

Not a bad point either. I find the same thing.

I'm not huge into Generic's. Usually they're just as good as the name brand, but sometimes not.

I buy pancake mix all the time, usually Aunt Jemima's or Hugry Jack. One time I decided to try the generic brand and was really disappointed to find out the mix was just in the box, no plastic bag like with the name brands.

I don't know why, but that bothered me. It seemed more likely to get buggy.

Also, a lot of the stuff I buy doesn't really have a generic equivelant.

But regardless, I DO know what you mean. There have been many times I've gone into a store with a coupon for something and realized there was anotehr brand name product or store generic that was less at regular price than my item was with a coupon.

I've also learned to pay very close attention to weights on products. You can really overpay for something if you're not careful.

The boxes are the same price and the same size, but one might have 20% more product in it.

Woo Hoo · The Chosen Woo

Our work gets their subscription sent to our house. They only use it for the job ads. So I steal all the Sunday ads from them. We bring in the paper the next day. But if I need to look up the classifieds then I already have the paper there. So it kinda works out.

allycat · Cat Scratch Diva

JR do you carry one of these to the store with you?

darleneapd · Cuff 'Em N' Stuff 'Em

I pick it up if there is anything news worthy, and I often don't get it on Sundays, but that is how I answered.... "I just pick it up on Sunday"

darleneapd · Cuff 'Em N' Stuff 'Em

I have every newpaper from the day after the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004! I have the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Providence Journal, and Attleboro Sun Chronicle

Cheeselvr · Better Than Cheddar

I boycott a certain local newspaper in my area because they are so biased. I subscribe to the Chicago Tribune for world news. It gives me something to do on my trainride. I think I'd cancel it if I drove. I get a student discount since I took a night course once and it's very cheap. I'm far from being a student but will gladly pay the cheaper price. I do check the news online everyday.

Jeremy Riggs · 2011 Super Bowl Champions!

JD The Jazz Doctor wrote:

www.jsonline.com for milwaukee news
cnn.com
msnbc.com
for national and international news.

JD, don't you find it maddening that JSOnline makes almost ALL the Packer news "premium" and you can only read it if you pay extra?

They don't do that for the Bucks, Brewers, Admirals or any other pro sports team. I find that insulting. Like they know how important our Packers are too us and they're going to hold that news hostage.

WebGuy · Doesn't Do Windows

We only get our one local paper which is only weekly (Thursdays). We take it mainly for the community stuff as the "news" is sometimes 7-8 days old. Our paper is typical small town stuff. Last weeked a coal train derailed 17 cars right in the middle of town. Two of the four crossings were closed . . . that was BIG news.

My mother-in-law has taken the "Omaha World Herald" daily for 30 years. She stopped it this week because the carriers now suck. They used to go up and put it between her storm door and front door. Now, they are just throwing it out a car window on the end of her driveway . . . if they even feel like delivering it at all. At 83 years old and failing health, she can't go stand on a sloped driveway, bend over to pick up a paper and take a chance of falling. She's called and complained and most everyone around here is also complaining as well.

She used to then send the papers over to our house and my wife would filp thorugh them. Now that we won't be getting those any more, my wife may decide to take another "regional" daily paper, but I only ever look at our weekly local paper.

Jeremy Riggs · 2011 Super Bowl Champions!

allycat wrote:

JR do you carry one of these to the store with you?

Silly woman.

The weights are listed right on the boxes.

You'd know that if you didn't make Sparky do all your shopping for you

allycat · Cat Scratch Diva

uuum fresh products.....

I just figured that you wouldnt trust the store scales.

Jeremy Riggs · 2011 Super Bowl Champions!

WebGuy wrote:

We only get our one local paper which is only weekly (Thursdays). We take it mainly for the community stuff as the "news" is sometimes 7-8 days old. Our paper is typical small town stuff. Last weeked a coal train derailed 17 cars right in the middle of town. Two of the four crossings were closed . . . that was BIG news.

My mother-in-law has taken the "Omaha World Herald" daily for 30 years. She stopped it this week because the carriers now suck. They used to go up and put it between her storm door and front door. Now, they are just throwing it out a car window on the end of her driveway . . . if they even feel like delivering it at all. At 83 years old and failing health, she can't go stand on a sloped driveway, bend over to pick up a paper and take a chance of falling. She's called and complained and most everyone around here is also complaining as well.

She used to then send the papers over to our house and my wife would filp thorugh them. Now that we won't be getting those any more, my wife may decide to take another "regional" daily paper, but I only ever look at our weekly local paper.

That's a big problem here too Web. Most of these delivery people are working full time jobs after the route and in a hurry to get the job done and go.

We actually had MUCH better service 15 years ago when kids delivered the evening paper. They'd try to do exactly what you wanted because they wanted that weekly tip.

In fact, that's a whole other issue. I've delivered papers as recently as ten years ago, and locally they changed over to a system of having the carriers collect to only taking payment via credit card when you subscribe.

That KILLED tips. Very few people will add a tip to their credit card payment, and if they do it's usually not nearly what they'd give if they were tipping each week when the collection took place.

I'm sure that hasn't helped service.