I was going to start a collection of the letters to readers that newspapers are publishing these days explaining every cutback and consolidation and where surviving features are moving to save paper and money because the times are tough, you know. But there are too many such letters.

Here’s one sample from the Advertiser in Louisiana. What’s scary about it is not what the paper says but what a customer says in the comments:

The article says “newspapers are not going away”, well The Daily Advertiser is. I’ve spent thousands advertising in The Advertiser over the the last eight years and have noticed a dramatic decline in returns from those ads. I quit advertising altogether last summer. People just don’t read the hard copy of The Advertiser any more.

Gulp.

Rather than telling readers what they’re not doing anymore and where they’re moving this and that – here’s where you’ll find that vital Sudoku and horoscope! – it might be better for papers to say what they are doing.

How about just saying: If it’s local, it’s here, if it’s not, it’s not.

And how about saying: If you want depth and currency and conversation and more, go online.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 4th, 2009 at 4:05 pm and was tagged newspapers.