[Hartford896]

Thoughts?

I understand they think the old-line newspaper industry/purpose of existence is tanked/tanking--though maybe not among every demographic, and I admit further that a lot of younger folks I know get their news (if they get the news at all) from television or online, but I'm not convinced that the Courant's new approach is the way to go.

It seems like they've turned it into more of a local news/magazine.

To me, it seems in danger in this new format of being caught in the middle. A local paper such as Journal Inquirer or Pictorial Gazette could really go far in carrying more stories on local digest and events and profiling local politicians, figures, and problems.

Conversely, the Globe, Times, and WSJ already provide better national news coverage and opinion, particularly since the Courant got rid of most of its out-of-state bureaus over the last 15 years.

It suggests to me that no one needs the Courant if they have to change themselves in this way.

What do you think? I'm not going to pass judgment for a few weeks, but if I still feel as I do today, I might just cancel my subscription.

[Rich Lee]

Here are my thoughts:

the depth of coverage/local angle isn't there
some stories and features seem outsourced and/or irrelevant
the new format is harder to read

[glxyman21]

Most of the news in the courant is from ambulance chasing, and local news is usually a sob story that attempts to pull on heart strings, but ultimately fails.

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by Hartford896

It suggests to me that no one needs the Courant

That's the key sentence in your post. They aren't fair and they aren't interesting, so why bother?

[JayCT]

I have always ffound local news coverage in the Courant to be lacking and it appears to be getting worse. I live in Glastonbury and the Courant went almost 2 weeks without one Glastonbury story. In that time two major new projects were approved by the local planning and zoning commission and a third is starting. It would have been nice to know about them. I guess we have to rely on the local paper for information but it is not the great either. JMHO, Jay

[JiminCT]

They have axed and slashed...removed the good writers...and are well on their way to irrelevance. The Courant was a fine paper 20 years ago.

[Uconn97]

Agree with all comments. I'll give it a few weeks, but will probably end up canceling our subscription. I thought the new format was harder to read and was trying to look more like an entertainment magazine that CT news.

[sun]

IMO the Courant is no longer a real newspaper. It's largely an empty shell of its former self and I'm very disappointed.
It's not just about the lack of local news, it's about the lack of any substantive news.
It's all about the dumbing down of American society.
State and local government agencies and decision making bodies already realize that the public is mostly unaware and uninformed, and they will continue to take advantage of the opportunity to make unpublicized decisions and actions. A greater degree of accountability to the public has already been lost.
Just receive video bytes on TV or scan the internet headlines, and what no one knows about in depth won't cause them any worry or unnecessary brain strain.
If folks really want national news, then they will need to subscribe to something else, and if they want state or local news then tough luck, so sorry.

[Hartford896]

I saw Sunday's edition and thought "ummmm..."
Monday's "are you serious?"

Then I posted the original post.

Then Tuesday looked just like Monday. Today looked just like Tuesday. It is the smallest, thinnest excuse for a state-wide newspaper I have ever seen. I remember even 15 years ago when I was in middle school that the Courant, at least in my and my parents' view, was a far more substantive paper than the New Haven Register (we subscribed to the Register and then switched to the Courant c. 1992/93). Today it is far less so, and that's not saying much for the Courant.

I've had a 50% off the 1st 12 weeks offer from the Boston Globe sitting on my desk for the last two weeks. This morning I called the Globe and signed on, and then I canceled my Courant subscription (after a brief and not altogether pleasant verbal exchange with the subscription department telephone answerer who tried to bully me into keeping my subscription because of the Courant's "40 new features" (do I need a magnifying glass? the paper seemed to have about 40 fewer features to me given its length).

I'm a moderate-to-conservative person on a lot of issues, and the Courant columnists were tiresome. I'm sure the Globe will have them three-fold, but at least it will be well-written and the paper seems to generate enough readership to actually be able to maintain a staff!

I'll get my local updates from the Journal Inquirer and hope for the best.

According the Courant I must be one of the only people of my generation (20 somethings) who reads the newspaper. It makes me sad to think all such publications may eventually cease to be. When it happens I will be the guy printing out the entire paper every morning off the computer.

[JiminCT]

The Courant's substance is increasingly on par with the JI and the New Britain Herald. One of these days people will realize that the Marty McGilluddies that are attempting to "overthrow" the media need to learn a little something...that content is king. Unfortunately, most of those Marty's are as sharp as a marble...