No doubt. I cancelled my subscription a few years ago. I tell anyone who will listen, as soon as you fire McElroy, I will re-subscribe. Assuming they do a better job, this time.
I'd say their on line hits tanked as well. How many in East Tennessee want a subscription to read Ina Hughes or Pam Strickland's liberal propaganda he was putting in the on line Editorial Section? LOL. Not that Jack's editorials were any better than theirs LOL. Even Sam Venable half the time now is going off on some pro left wing tangent. I liked him as a outdoors writer. He should have stayed such. The only half way conservative writer I think they have now is Greg Johnson who seems to be Libertarian.
Look in the on line comments after the articles. Used to they had at least 50 closer to 200 comments on articles. Now it's usually less than ten and most have zero. I'm like you. When their quality and management changes for the better I'll pay for a paper again but not until then.