Getting the Paper

The daily paper The Oregonian sent reader Ken Bilderback a note thanking him for being a loyal subscriber. The reader forwarded the note to Jim Romenesko, drily pointing out that loyalty comes at a cost: “Another reason newspapers are failing. We subscribe to The Oregonian. The good news is that we will get the Thanksgiving and Christmas papers we’re paying for. The bad news is that our subscription will be shortened because of it.”

That’s because the “special” holiday editions of the paper cost more, being chock full of good stuff / unnecessary junk like “money-saving coupons.” The conversation continues on Romenesko’s FB page:

Do you invest in your local paper, and if so, do these pricing shenanigans bother you? My local paper is the NYT, and I do subscribe; my loyalty is boundless and my enjoyment — which encompasses the ability to mock without mercy — is priceless.

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