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Dallas Morning News Takes Free Press Serious
Personal Story | May 17, 2004 | Whereasandsoforth

Posted on 05/17/2004 9:45:30 AM PDT by whereasandsoforth

Dateline: Yesterday -The Dallas Morning News had a booth set-up inside my local Kroger store for the purpose of giving away free copies of the Sunday paper. I haven't subscribed to The DMN in years, but I never remmeber them being so generous at any time in the past. Is their circulation really on a downslide?

I refused the copy offered to me, as did a woman before me and an elderly couple after me. I guess the word "free" just doesn't have the impact it did once. I did not offer any "editorial comment" to the young woman behind the booth. I'm sure she was "just doing her job". Seeing her there, it came to me that we really are witnessing the decline and fall of the print media. I surmise that this decline and fall can be blamed in unequal parts to advancing technologies and the press' utter lack of self-control while advancing their liberal agenda.

Well, that's today's report. Thanks for tuning in.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; US: Texas; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: dmn; newspapers

1 posted on 05/17/2004 9:45:31 AM PDT by whereasandsoforth
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To: whereasandsoforth

I keep finding the Houston Chronical in my front yard. I don't subscribe. I hate having to pick it up and throw it away...


2 posted on 05/17/2004 9:50:12 AM PDT by tje
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To: whereasandsoforth

DMN has been doing this in Krogers for about a year. It's really sad, I hardly see anyone take a paper. Of course, it's usually because if you show even the slightest interest in accepting the "free" paper you get a subscription pitch crammed down your throat.

Also, in downtown Dallas they give away a free paper called "Quick" which is a 14-16 page collection of news stories, perfect for reading on the train or in the break room. Small, compact... and truly FREE!


3 posted on 05/17/2004 9:50:48 AM PDT by Lunatic Fringe (John F-ing Kerry??? NO... F-ING... WAY!!!)
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To: whereasandsoforth

I miss the Dallas Times Herald..


4 posted on 05/17/2004 9:52:33 AM PDT by Monty22
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To: tje
Dallas Morning News Takes Free Press Seriously

Adverbs people, adverbs!
5 posted on 05/17/2004 9:55:54 AM PDT by ElTianti
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To: ElTianti

I love the FR Grammar Patrol. Sometimes missstakes are made for the fun of it.


6 posted on 05/17/2004 10:00:05 AM PDT by whereasandsoforth (tagged for migratory purposes only)
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To: whereasandsoforth

Yah, I had a lot of fun making Miss Stakes, once...


7 posted on 05/17/2004 10:02:20 AM PDT by SAJ (So, ya wanna buy a bridge, eh? Lemme see what I've got in stock...)
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To: ElTianti

Hit the nail square on the head.


8 posted on 05/17/2004 10:09:24 AM PDT by Ben Chad
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To: whereasandsoforth

I decided to drop my subscription after 16 years and got a refund of my last prepayment after the DMN decided, editorially, that it could not support any marriage amendment to the U.S. constitution. A "difficult decision," the editors pretended. It's been sad watching the degeneration of this formerly strong conservative paper.

Based on the above, guess I'm not the only one that feels that way.



9 posted on 05/17/2004 10:12:07 AM PDT by Elpasser (Sad decline of the DMN)
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To: whereasandsoforth
You'll enjopy this one..The Journal News, the Gannett owned, Westchester county, NY based monopoly local rag, has been experiencing declining circulation for years. So they've tried the give away promo, leaving us with free papers for a week, then followed up with a call from a salesperson hoping we'd enjoyed the free paper, and asking if we'd like to subscribe. Six months ago we were the beneficiary of this largesse, but we got our solicitation call on Sunday morning, at 9:30 AM, just as we were about to leave for church. I realized that the person making the call was as the bottom of the food chain, just doing her job. I poilitely declined, but I was pissed beyond all get out. That afternoon I left a series of voicemail messages for the circulation editor, new editor, business editor, sports editor, and anyone else whose phone number was printed in the paper, as well as e-mails, tellig them that to telemarket people on Sunday mornings was deplorable,a nd if it didn't stop immediately, I was going to call Gannett corporate offices on Monday, as well as every other newspaper, TV and radio outlet in the NY metro area...( The media always loves it when a competitor screws the pooch big time). I left my home,business numbers, and e-addies at home and work. Well, Monday the apologies came, and came, and continued..all the way up the food chain...You think Bush and Rummy apologized endlessly?

"IT should never have happened,... not our way of doing business..someone got carried away.." you name it..and the e-mails also continued, as well as snail mails..Finally, four days later, the publisher reached me at the office, apoligized agian, and as what he probably viewed at the ultimate sign of contrition, offered me a year's free subscription for my inconvenience. I laughed politiely, and told him that the reason I didn't subscribe was that his product had nothing to offer..but I told him that I would take him at his word, that he would provide a free subcription to someone who couldn't afford it...

BTW, a few months after that, we enrolled in the "do not call program"..which has probably cut down telephone solicitations by 95%..It great. I was wondering if givign someone a free product, constitutes a "relationship" allowing them to cal you?

10 posted on 05/17/2004 10:16:32 AM PDT by ken5050 (Ann Coulter needs to have children ASAP to propagate her genes.....any volunteers?)
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To: tje

Hell, at least it's not the Boston Globe. I have to take a shower after handling that thing.


11 posted on 05/17/2004 10:24:31 AM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets (Uday and Qusay are ead-day)
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets

hmm, I think I'll start using the poop scooper we have for the dog....


12 posted on 05/17/2004 11:06:16 AM PDT by tje
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To: whereasandsoforth

The DMN is on a downward spiral for a variety of reasons the most serious IMHO is the havoc wrought in the Comic Section. Every Sunday I am forced to unwrap the Comics. Lasik Surgery ads and other foofah encapsulate this section. The Sunday Reader contains less editorial content and more propoganda. If it wasn't for Prince Valiant, Garfield and Charlie Brown.....


13 posted on 05/17/2004 11:13:50 AM PDT by Young Werther
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To: Monty22
I miss the Dallas Times Herald..

I don't. They were to the left of the DMN(which used to be a decent paper.) In fact I'm guessing that many of their staff migrated over to the DMN and Startlegram. And never forget that the DTH employed that slimy lying prissy blowhard sports-gossip columnist Skip Bayless(though the liar was a bit ahead of his time, showing where the media was headed.)

14 posted on 05/17/2004 1:59:15 PM PDT by Diddle E. Squat
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To: Elpasser

I seem to recall noticing the DMN taking a decided slant to the left across the board about the same time that they began running numerous pro-gay special rights editorials, about a decade or so ago. IIRC it was right after the gal took over the editorial leadership (Lee Collum?) She had her country clubber socially-liberal 'white man's burden', her agenda was to bring Dallas into the 'world class status', which of course could only be done by adopting 'cosmopolitan' attitudes and 'sophistication'.


15 posted on 05/17/2004 2:07:29 PM PDT by Diddle E. Squat
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To: whereasandsoforth

Here in Denton County they're trying to "bundle" the DMN and Denton Retched-Chronicle together - for $2!

I go to a convenience store instead - I just get the Morning Spew for the classified adverts, and don't need additional birdcage lining material.


16 posted on 05/17/2004 2:48:57 PM PDT by Redbob (saving this space for witty comebacks)
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To: Diddle E. Squat

Which one of those caved in on Joe Bob Briggs? I can't remember now.


17 posted on 05/17/2004 3:28:59 PM PDT by Monty22
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To: whereasandsoforth
Sometimes missstakes are made for the fun of it.

I reread your mistake and still fail to see any humor in it.

18 posted on 05/17/2004 3:34:00 PM PDT by cinFLA
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To: whereasandsoforth
I don't think I would have taken a freeeeee paper either.

In fact, it irks me no end when I have to pick their freebies up out of my yard.

And I don't have a pet bird to put it to a good use, either. :^)


19 posted on 05/19/2004 1:57:48 PM PDT by MeekOneGOP (There is ONLY ONE good Democrat: one that has just been voted OUT of POWER ! Straight ticket GOP!)
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