The always-entertaining New York Post is reporting that the Star Tribune is in trouble. The Post gets a lot of abuse for its sometimes lurid approach and its proudly downmarket sensibility, but it's usually the second most reliable paper in New York (behind the Wall Street Journal). Lassie at Freedom Dogs and Captain Ed have both weighed in on the possible reasons for why the Strib might be in trouble; Lassie points to the changing marketplace and especially the electronic competition, while Captain Ed points to the long-standing systemic problems at Strib, especially on the editorial side of the paper.
We've subscribed to the Star Tribune for 15 years now and I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to cancel my subscription, especially on those magic days when Nick Coleman, Lori Sturdevant, Syl Jones and Garrison Keillor run in the same issue, but there have always been sound reasons to keep taking the paper. The Sunday edition typically provides us with enough ad circulars and coupons to offset the cost of the subscription, and the sports section is usually pretty good. The rest of the paper is thin and getting thinner with each passing year. Other than Katherine Kersten and James Lileks, the only other advantage to the editorial side of the paper is that it provides local bloggers with ample fisking material.
So while I'm with Ed in thinking that the problematic editorial content hasn't helped matters over on Portland Avenue, the real problem is advertisers get more bang for their buck advertising on Google or Craigslist than with the Strib. Home computers with internet access are pretty close to ubiquitous now. While my 12 year-old son loves reading the newspaper, he's an anomaly and I don't see many of his contemporaries having much interest. Demography is destiny and the dead tree version of the Strib is on the wrong side of this wave.
I'm afraid that print newspapers are like typewriters. I learned to type on a typewriter, but my kids have never used one and probably never will. It's quite possible that my grandchildren won't ever hold a daily newspaper. If the StarTribune does go belly up, it will likely remain alive as an online presence, which is the approach the Capital Times in Madison is taking. But it also wouldn't surprise me if, 20 years down the line, the major players in the Twin Cities media market are all online sources. And it's quite possible that one of the major players will be True North.
Would I miss tucking into a fat Sunday newspaper while nursing a cup of coffee? Sure, I suppose I would. But I'd get over it. Millions of other people already have. And since we can get plenty of coupons online, that day may be imminent.
2 comments:
I am not certain that the editorial position of the Strib is entirely why it's in trouble. Yeah, their worldview bothers a lot of people, but I believe a lot of others lap that stuff up. The problem is with newspapers in general. They almost never break news anymore, and because of how they are published, are well behind the 8-ball. By the time you get the paper, most of the news contained therein is already mostly known to everyone. I think Lassie over at Freedom Dogs is correct. I am not sure how dead tree editions of newspapers can become more relevant again.
When I moved back up here in 1998, I actually subscribed to both papers. I stopped subscribing to the Pioneer Press a year later, and I stopped getting the Star Tribune in 2002. Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for (mostly) free?
i'm gonna miss the printed news when its gone. been a daily user since i was grade school.
our local paper is now only 1/2 the size it used to be.
hopefully, it'll stick around a while longer.
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