4.17.2009

Newspapers Get A Kick In the Masthead


I love newspapers. Wall Street Journal's snootiness and conciseness.  The New York Times Sunday paper and its long-time love affair with the arts.  My local weekly's folksy charm.  I love them as much as they love me, the subscriber.


The problem with today's major dailies, IMHO, is they got greedy.  My mom would say, "What goes around, comes around." They charged high ad rates and didn't budge when smaller clients couldn't afford them.  They offered incentives to new subscribers but never proactively communicated with us regular, long-timers again except an annual bill.  A few on the editorial staff could be... challenging... to deal with.  Egos... personalities... revenue...  less cooperation, and more focus on the almighty dollar.

Where did those tactics get them today?  Just sayin'.  

Lesson learned? Be kind, fair and just in business, and in life.  Bad karma always come back around to give you a big kick in the masthead.  I love newspapers, and hope they survive in a better and more collaborative business model (e.g. online), and the personalities behind the newspapers learn a valuable lesson about grace and humility.


2 comments:

Nicole Feliciano said...

Just stopping in to say hello--loved your comment about the Carpet Baggers over on Queen of Spain.

Julie Dennehy said...

Thanks, Nicole! Invite me to read your Unplugged blog... that's a topic I'm very interested in. We seem to have a lot in common. :)