San Francisco Chronicle Struggles as Internet Siphons Readers, Ads

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-chronicle11dec11,0,5115266.story?coll=la-home-business ^ | December 11, 2005 | By Joseph Menn, Times Staff Writer

[MRMEAN]

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-chronicle11dec11,0,4510735,print.story?coll=la-home-business

[TYVets]

,,,,,the Chronicle's circulation is plunging.

I am not deeply saddened.

[DoughtyOne]

LOL, the West Coast may be devoid of Pravdaesque papers in the not too distant future. What will we do?

I'm sure the local news channels will pick up the slack.

[GaltMeister]

Ha Ha. Liberals are so stuck in the 1960's they can't keep up with the world.

[ncountylee]

Gee...that's too bad.

[DoughtyOne]

What'ya mean? They have Al Franken, Al Gore, Bill and Hillary, the rest of the democRats...

Yes, I guess I see what you mean. LOL

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Do what the RIAA does - sue your customers.

[LurkedLongEnough]

I guess that means that Mark Morford will be plunging, too.

[kAcknor]

"It's a disturbing harbinger of what may happen with other newspapers as attention turns to the Net,"

Deal with it. Consumers of news and entertainment will go where they find the product desired. Whether it's on line or in print, cost related or content based (most likely a combination of all of the above).

Just deal with it. Quityerbitchen, produce the content using the media that sells the most with the format the bring in readers.

Easy. ;)

[SteveMcKing]

One subtlety to consider: the print media, however radical, must always have proper form and refrain from vulgarity, threats, and generally showing themselves as they really are.

When liberals convert to the internet (abandoning print) they simply can't behave themselves. It's too much freedom for them, so they end up writing the most revolting things that would never be allowed in a newspaper.

Think about the implications of that....

[Spirochete]

Do what the RIAA does - sue your customers.

Lobby for legislation that gives part of every computer, modem, DSL/cable sale to some newspaper association.

[Dane]

"It's a disturbing harbinger of what may happen with other newspapers as attention turns to the Net," said industry analyst John Morton of Morton Research Inc. in Silver Spring, Md

IOW, "us liberals are losing our stranglehold on the media."

[G Larry]

So, does Chris Mathews have more viewers or readers?

[mvpel]

I suspect that this trend is what is driving the Chron to publish more center and right articles - I noticed it particularly on the gun issue. They might be starting to realize that people other than left-wing nutjobs read newspapers and that conservatives' money is as green as anyone else's.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

The Duma in Sacramento will pass a law requiring everyone to purchase the Chronicle. Problem solved!

[GaltMeister]

When liberals convert to the internet (abandoning print) they simply can't behave themselves.

Very good point! Look at DU, or any of the liberal oriented websites and forums. They bill themselves as progressive, passionate, all-loving people, but their true colors shine through: vulgar, disgusting people who are filled with hate and vitriol and completely intolerant of anything outside of their warped world view.

[Pompah]

Geezz.I thought the Chronicle was one of the Flagships of the New Age Multicultralism-Diversity Set.??

I'm shocked.Shocked .... :>D

[redhead]

"The venerable Chronicle is struggling...the Chronicle's circulation is plunging..."

I'd like to say I'm sorry, but I'm just not that big a liar. What time is the wake?

[ExtremeUnction]

Deal with it. Consumers of news and entertainment will go where they find the product desired. Whether it's on line or in print, cost related or content based (most likely a combination of all of the above).

Nothing stays the same forever. Americans used to cool their food with blocks of delivered ice. The refrigerator was invented and the ice houses disappeared overnight. Kodak made cameras and film, and were prosperous for many years. Now a new technology (digital) is making them scramble to save what they can of their business. Plane travel replaced train travel. I now get my news on the Internet. I can jump all over and pick and choose what I read. I ignore the on-line ads or block them. Some people may not like it, but I really believe that print media is in its death throes. Many young people don't even look at a paper even if it's on the lunchroom table and free!

[Faraday]

If my local MSM paper goes belly up, it will be missed. One can always see which politicians in a race they endorsed as a pretty good indicator of whom to vote against.