What does it tell you when a media blog drops the local paper?

Fascinatingly enough, I saw this morning where the blog Bottom Line Communications is dropping their Kansas City Star subscription.

Yowza.

What's that tell you?

The Star is looking more and more like Blockbuster Video--a company that is old technology--and going down.

Just as BLC laments, I hate to see this happen.

They ask a great question over there:  "What business model features increased prices and reduced quality and hopes to survive?"

And the only answer to that question is the US Postal Service.

And we all know how that's going to turn out.

It really is sad.

I wrote about this earlier here.

I want to take the paper and I want it to be relevant but it has to be both relevant and a good value and it's just not.  As they point out over there at BLC, the price keeps going up, up, up and the content and quality of that same content keeps getting worse and worse.  I don't think anyone could deny that.  Well, they couldn't unless they're on the staff of the Star.

It does't portend good things for society, either.  We used to all have this base of information we began with, whether it was Walter Cronkite or the local newspaper or whatever.  Now, fewer and fewer people are even remotely aware of current events locally, regionally, nationally or internationally and if they do read or watch things, they are usually sources that merely reinforce their own preconceived opinions.

It doesn't bode well for us as a people and country.

There is an article out today at Alternet, pointing out that the Southern Poverty Law Center registered a 22% rise in "radical Right-wing hate, 'patriot' and militia groups" last year and a 40% rise the year before.  I would submit that there is at least a partial correlation between a lack of information and hard data, and the growth of these groups.  I don't think it's a coincidence.  Things are changing, radically in the US and people don't understand.  They want things back "like they used to be"--an old high school friend of mine said as much to me earlier this year, on Facebook.

We need, as a country and as a people, to be calm and informed.

Once again, I call out for a renewal of the "Fairness Doctrine" in our government over media.

And as soon as possible.

A media blog ending their subscription to the local newspaper.

It's nearly inconceivable.

Nearly.

Links:  http://www.bottomlinecom.com/kcnews/biddingadieutokcstar.html
http://www.alternet.org/rights/150069/number_of_radical_right-wing_hate,_patriot,_and_militia_groups_exploded_in_2010

Good news and bad about the KC Star and their website

First, the good news. I've been meaning to write about this since the weekend. The good news is that the Star has taken to advertising and pushing for their website (www.kansascity.com). I saw it for the first time in a half-page ad they ran Saturday at the back of the "Saturday Homes" (E) section. It may have been run before but it's the first I'd seen of it. So good for them. They need to support and push it, for sure. Now the bad news, of course. The bad news is that a) the site hasn't changed, b) it's still difficult, at best, to find stories on the site that are in the paper (though for the first time the other day I was able to type in 2 keywords from the article in the paper and not only get the article online I wanted but to get it on the first try. Needless to say, I was stunned, thrilled and happy for them), c) the online "paper" still doesn't look like the traditional thrown paper (heads up, guys--check out the NY Times--they "get it") and finally, d) unfortunately we Americans--and maybe the world--still expect to get virtually everything on the internet free so they still haven't figured out how to make money off the internet version yet, very, highly likely. This last one I don't blame them for, of course. I will tell you, if you know how they can turn that online site into a profit-making "cash cow", you should run, not walk to their offices and let them know. I'm sure it would pay you big dividends in the meantime. To close, I would give this advice to any and all on the staff of The Kansas City Star: I would do what my friend at Blockbuster Video did a year or two ago and get out now, while you can, before newspapers go the way they did--that of the 8-track tape. Keep cool, everyone.