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Old 12-29-2013, 09:51 PM
 
4,277 posts, read 11,713,370 times
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I used to drive a lot in rural areas wondering what local folks considered "town". The daily newspapers subscribed to seemed to be a pretty good indication, indicated by colored plastic tubes on the post under the mailbox. Usually the contrasting colors driving from one area to the next provided a ready indication at highway speeds. Unfortunately with the decline in daily newspaper circulation this geographic indicator is much less useful than it was say 15 years ago. Does anyone else use indicators like this to identify the economic reach of market towns in rural areas?
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Old 12-31-2013, 02:38 AM
 
Location: Savannah GA
13,709 posts, read 21,777,695 times
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OMG YES! I worked in the newspaper industry for 25 years, on the news side, but was always fascinated (and very respectful) of those whose job it was to deliver this perishable, fragile product that I had worked so hard to create, into the hands of consumers every night ... while they slept ... rain or shine ... 365 days a year.

One of the things that fascinated me about newspapers as a kid was seeing the distinct nameplates and color schemes on delivery tubes, vending boxes, etc. as we made road trips. I remember thinking how odd it was that nearly every driveway or mailbox post in some rural areas had a delivery tube for the local paper, while urban and metro areas often had none. Growing up in suburban Metro Atlanta, the Journal-Constitution always came bagged, thrown from a moving vehicle on the driveway, the lawn or the front porch. Yet out in the boondocks, they were deposited safely brightly colored tubes with the words "Journal" on one side and "Constituion" on the other.

Later, I came to realize the differences in city and rural delivery routes, and how many urban areas have zoning codes or community covenants that classify newspaper delivery "tubes" as marketing clutter and and thus forbid them. Whatever.

A couple of years ago I took a trip from Georgia to Washington State across the upper Midwest and Plains states, driving the length of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota and Illinois. I noticed that most every rural area of those states still had the newspaper tubes in abundance -- often more than one newspaper, and from cities hundreds of miles away. I also noticed that many had doors on them, like a mailbox ... to keep out snow I'm guessing?

As for the future of these things, yes they are becoming a thing of the past. The faded, worn condition of many suggests that some newspapers have stopped providing them, or at least replacing them. I've always known them to be complimentary to subscribers who request them. But some newspapers are now bold enough to sell them for $20 a pop! Pretty clever ad!

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