Apparently, the NASCAR race in Charlotte, NC counts as local news.
To be fair, on the site's main page there are actual local headlines readily visible:
This is why the newspaper industry is dying. The only strength papers have is the ability to focus on LOCAL issues and news. Unfortunately, by and large dailies are owned by corporations that aren't truly newspaper-oriented, and so they ignore this strength and take stupid cost-cutting measures that make it even less appealing to buy the local rag unless you're trying to house break a puppy.
For example: Earlier this week, my mother and I went to lunch at Jim's. The paper machine still had papers, at 1PM. I wanted a newspaper, but I couldn't actually buy a newspaper, because the last time the Express-News raised its prices (and frankly, it's not worth $1/day, but that's another bitch for another time) they redid all of their machines to only accept quarters. I had a dollar, but only 75¢ worth of quarters. So, no paper. And seriously, what business with any sense makes it harder to buy their product at the same time they raise its price? Newspapers aren't aspirational products, y'all. Maybe it's easier to handle quarters than a mishmash of quarters, dimes, and nickels, but I'd guess at least part of that is because there are far fewer coins than could be accounted for by a mere switch in currency.
Ah well, at least they don't yet have a paywall in place.
1 comment:
A dirty secret about those vending machines, re:"I'm not paying $1 for 50cts worth of newspaper"; some of those machines haven't been recalibrated to only open for whatever the current price is. I've had a *few* machines that would take the pre-change price for a paper. Granted, that stiffs the poor delivery guy for his change.
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