Do you still buy the newspapers ? (Chicago, Washington: coupons, buying, college)

[williepotatoes]

I don't. And according to the latest circulation figures that puts
me on the forefront of a long-term trend. Trib is down another 10%
and the ST is down another 12% year-to-year.

It's kind of sad watching these legacy newspapers dying off in
front of our eyes, but I believe that they brought it on themselves
mostly.

I do quickly scan both papers on-line daily, but I don't spend much time
reading them. There's just less and less there that interests me.

[Manigault]

Yes, I get and read the paper every day. I learned to read by reading the comics on the floor as a kid.

My wife clips the coupons.

[steve1282]

its cuz most papers are liberal and lie nobody trusts them why would you waste your money on it.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by steve1282

its cuz most papers are liberal and lie nobody trusts them why would you waste your money on it.

Or waste their time on what you have to say.

I stopped buying the Trib after it's recent dumbing down, until then I bought it even though I was also reading the paper's website every day.

I used to buy the Sun Times too but only when I was working, I'd pick one up on the way to work to read at break and for the crosswords. But it got so stupid I stopped buying it.

I agree with Willie, they brought it on themselves.

[jdiddy]

I'm with Tom.

[heyho]

The Sun Times used to have better local reporting.

The Trib's editorial policy is so out there that I can't handle giving them a dime of my money.

Both have gutted investigative journalism and rely on wire feeds from AP or Bloomberg.

The Reader is better on local issues a lot of the time.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by williepotatoes

I don't. And according to the latest circulation figures that puts
me on the forefront of a long-term trend. Trib is down another 10%
and the ST is down another 12% year-to-year.

There was an old saying that my uncle used to tell all of his daughters, "Why BUY the cow when you get the milk free?" Why buy the local papers when they give it all away free over the internet.

I do not buy newpapers as the information is out of date. By teh time I can read about a sporting event in the Tribune, I have read it on ESPN.com or seen on TV.

If there is a natural disaster, I can access all the information from local websites.

I quit subscribing to the Tribune when they bought the LA Times and started relying on Los Angeles based writers for their lifestyle and travel sections. I want a local perspective, not an LA one. We get enough of that through the TV.

One more point. IMHO, another thing that is really killing Chicago newpapers and radio is that the writers/hosts are TOO OLD. When Spike O'Dell retired at age 56 from WGN radio and is replaced by a 51 year old, where is the diversity? I look at the rosters at the newspapers and where are there any hungry writers. In stead, we get the "same old" people that we have been doing the same old stuff for thirty years.

[Lookout Kid]

I have the Sun-Times delievered so I can read it on a commute and get the New York Times on Sundays. It's a nice dichotomy, with one sort of stupid local paper and one very serious national paper. I read the Tribune online, and check chicagobreakingnews.com periodically.

[Jesse69]

I get a Tribune Sunday Wed Fri subscription because it's worth it for the coupons which saves you grocery and restaurant money.

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

Or waste their time on what you have to say.

I stopped buying the Trib after it's recent dumbing down, until then I bought it even though I was also reading the paper's website every day.

I used to buy the Sun Times too but only when I was working, I'd pick one up on the way to work to read at break and for the crosswords. But it got so stupid I stopped buying it.

I agree with Willie, they brought it on themselves.

I still receive both the Tribune and Wall Street Journal to read on my commute. It used to be that I split my time 50/50 between those two papers, but it has become more like 80/20 in favor of the Journal lately. As of now, the sports section is about all that I read in the Tribune on a regular basis because of the "recent dumbing down" that you are referring to. The Trib is sensationalizing local political scandals and passing it off as some type of watchdog journalism (i.e. the "Clout Goes to College" series - relevant for maybe a couple of reports, but not front page news for 4 straight months) while also relying on lowest common denominator features like "What's Your Problem?" When I was growing up, the Trib was legitimately a competitor with the New York Times and Washington Post on the national front. Now, the only reason why I still subscribe is so I can read some sports news on the train. It's really sad because I'm probably one of the few people my age (31) that still reads actual newspapers, yet our local papers are increasingly becoming irrelevant. Anyway, I wrote a couple of blog posts last year on the Tribune's changes:

How to Kill a Newspaper « FRANK THE TANK’S SLANT

Someone Vomited on My Newspaper « FRANK THE TANK’S SLANT