December 23rd, 2008
I’ve tried to remain as dispassionate as possible regarding the ongoing screeches over the death of the newspaper. I’m not in denial: I know the situation is serious.
When folks like Mr. Zell bankrupt a communications empire, I do not necessarily regard this as a harbinger of things to come.
But when the The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News announce that they will stop home delivery four days of the week I think, oh my gosh, this is getting very serious.
If you are no longer even delivering the product, the situation is beyond serious: it’s a crisis.
OK it’s Detroit. Et cetera. But that doesn’t make the announcement much more palatable. This kind of announcement signifies the end of the printed version of newspapers in Detroit. Will it spread? I don’t know, but tell me why it won’t?