[VaBthang4]

What they are doing is smoke and mirrors.

They get a large chunk of their business from hotels and motels. They sell them in bulk [at a cheaper rate] to the hotels for their guests.

Let me know who has revenue increasing.

[Richard Kimball]

I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last week, and the newspaper was dropped at the door every morning. There was a note that said they'd drop 8 cents a night if you didn't want the paper, which tells me what they're paying per copy. I'd bet well over 50% of USA Today's circulation is to travellers who get it gratis. They're also frequently in restaurants, free for reading to patrons.

I think laptops are just a couple of generations away from replacing the giveaway newspapers in these areas. Unfortunately, it will be like the political parties. When the Republicans started winning, Rats changed to Republican, but didn't change their politics. All these newspaper Marxists will go online. The delivery method will change, but Molly Ivins wannabes will still be around.