Eras, Meet Endings
Posted on | December 10, 2008 at 11:04 pm | 4 Comments
In the comments to yesterday’s blog entry, InfK mentions offhandedly the trouble the newspaper industry is in. Indeed. The Daily Show even did a bit about the massive amount of failing newspapers around the country on last night’s show. What hath Craigslist wrought? It was announced last week that the very paper I subscribe to, the Rocky Mountain News, which has been around for 150 years and was Colorado’s first newspaper, has been put up for sale. If a buyer isn’t found in a month or so, the paper will probably close up shop. That would leave only the Denver Post as the metro area’s paper, and who knows how long that will last. The two papers entered into a Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) several years ago, combining business operations and publishing only one joint paper on Saturdays and Sundays. That arrangement helped them get along awhile longer, but it sure looks like the writing is on the wall.
The News is the more conservative of the two Denver-area papers, which makes me subscribing to it somewhat surprising. But I’ve been a News subscriber for a long time, and it was mostly because of two things: better comic strips, and the tabloid format which makes it easier to read on my breakfast counter. But over the years, the comics have deteriorated to the point where the Post ones aren’t really any worse. And the conservative bent of the editorial pages is really starting to get to me. Plus, I underwent an experience several years ago which convinced me that most of what gets printed in newspaper articles is, if not outright lies, at least gross misrepresentations of the facts. I assume that at some point in the past journalists were interested in getting all sides of the story and verifying facts, but that doesn’t seem to be the case these days. I still glance at articles to get the gist of what’s going on in the city, but I don’t trust anything I read. Mostly I guess I just still get the paper in order to have something to read with breakfast, and I concentrate on the comics, lifestyle, business, and (surprisingly for me) sports (but only during Broncos season) sections. But with so much other stuff going on in my life, I rarely have time to read the paper during breakfast anyway any more.
So I guess if the News does go under, I will probably not subscribe to the rival Post. Oh, I think I’ll get the Sunday paper (N loves her coupons and I must have Parade!), but no more daily paper for me. I can read the comic strips on the web, and just the ones I actually like. I’ll get most of my national news from The Daily Show and Colbert. If I really need to read in-depth about a local or national news issue, I’ll just peruse the web.
I’m hoping that the newspaper industry dying will spur journalists into becoming real journalists, but that ship may have already sailed. They’ll probably just become bloggers, and we all know how unreliable those people are.
Another industry in trouble is the restaurant one. It looks like Club 404 is not long for this world. The dining establishment at the corner of 4th and Broadway has been a Denver institution for a long time. (Sue would like it, since there’s a nearly-conical glass on the sign.) For years and years, I would go there for dinner and pitchers of beer with friends on Saturday nights, but those days are gone due to the splintering of my social circle. However, it is near my place of work and I frequently go there for lunch with Pilto. The place has changed little in the time I’ve known it – same waitresses, same food , same huge menu, same low prices, same ambiance. Although they did add huge windows to the auxiliary dining area a few years ago, which really opened it up. The place has what I’m pretty sure is the cheapest steaks in town. I hope it doesn’t get sold for a good long while. When it goes away, a part of me will go with it.
Here’s to you, Jerry!
Latre.
Pet Peeve of the Day: The high price of newspaper subscriptions.
Poignant Search Term Of The Day That Led To This Blog: “spelling demon pictures”.
Videogame(s) Played Today: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS)
Comments
4 Responses to “Eras, Meet Endings”
December 11th, 2008 @ 12:24 am
Plus, I underwent an experience several years ago which convinced me that most of what gets printed in newspaper articles is, if not outright lies, at least gross misrepresentations of the facts.
I’ve been convinced of that for decades, based both on my own experiences and on reports from others. Not just newspapers, but television news, too.
December 11th, 2008 @ 2:06 am
If I want “news”, I usually go with the BBC or another public-funded organization, like Australia’s ABC. (PBS news is too stilted to endure, sad to say) Money Wrecks Everything, including – some would say especially – journalism. (if there ever was such a thing, some others would sneer)
But then who needs news these days… “Economy collapsing”, “violence in the Middle East”, “Political scandal shocks nation”, “crime statistics reach record high in your neighborhood (yes, yours)” – the news is, ironically, more stable than most of the rapidly-evolving devices we use to access it.
December 11th, 2008 @ 6:38 pm
I used to really enjoy my perusal of the morning paper – alas, properly starting with the comics! But, it’s been a long time and is just a faded memory. I haven’t subscribed to a daily newspaper for over a decade.
I do fear the day when I find myself eating alone at a fast food place, and there’s no newspapers (or usually scraps of several papers) piled up on top of the trash cans. There’s nothing more boring than just sitting there eating, with no conversation, TV or something to read. Good thing for the iPhone, I guess.
December 13th, 2008 @ 7:56 am
I’m shocked there are still cities with two newspapers.