Monday, August 06, 2007

Will there always be a print newspaper?

The New York Times changed their layout today by removing an inch or two from both sides. The Time’s appearance is now similar to our regional newspaper (i.e. Pioneer Press). I’ve not picked up a copy of the new paper yet, so my opinion is still up in the air.

While hearing this announcement on the morning radio, I also overheard them talking about a Times editor stating in five or ten years there no longer will be a print newspaper. Now I could have some facts wrong as I was also in transit to pickup my newborn son at the hospital, but I’m assuming the comments were in regard to the newsprint format disappearing and not the newspaper business. If my assumption has merit, I disagree with that statement. As a side note, I’ll blog on why I think the newspaper business is safe in a future posting.

There is nothing better than picking up the newsprint left on my front steps every morning. Why? Because I like to sit and eat breakfast while flipping through the pages. Have you ever tried eating and using your mouse and keyboard? I have, and every few days I have to spend an hour or two picking sandwich crust and chip crumbs that are stuck in between my spacebar and “N” key. Spill your milk on your laptop and you have malfunction, drop jelly on your newspaper and you just saved yourself a mess.

While lack of connection is a problem that will soon be solved, I also enjoy reading the newspaper in places where internet service is not readily available (i.e. in my car while waiting for my wife to shop). Again this is a problem that will soon be solved (i.e. internet access on your personal device), but as of right now I don’t have internet service everywhere I go. Thus, the newsprint works for me.

I’m not sure if my feelings are shared with others, but consider myself a person that prefers a hardcopy newspaper rather than a seventeen inch screen. And even if I have some kind of personal device beaming me the latest information, I still like to use my newspaper to catch the milk dripping from my mouth.

No comments: