Letter the eleventh: where's my free news?

This one isn't really crazy but it's the principle of it.

[PUBLISHER],
Though the [NEWSPAPER] is published only twice per week I would hope that the website woudl be kep up-to-date. I have been viewing the same 'headlines' for the past 2 weeks*, i.e. latest website entries (Sept. 11-Sept 24 '09). The same with the Obituary Listing (Obituary marked Oct 9, 09 has listed obituaries from October 2 and no further). How can the obituaries be marked October 9th, when today is only October 8, 09. ??
Inconsistency, to say the least.

I once had the [NEWSPAPER] delivered to my address a few years back. Because the '[CLEVER DIMINUTIVE FOR THE NEWSPAPER]" was cutting back on their subscribers, they deemed it unecessary not to have home delivery at my address in [LOCATION], because they considered me in the 'boonies.' That's fine if they wished it this way. ... but at least try to keep the website updated so that we would have the most recent local/state news and the most recent obituaries in the [REGION].
Thank you for your time.
[Signature]
[CUTESY INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE SIGNATURE]



The journalist sending this said, as far he knows, no one has been persuaded to unsubscribe because it's too far away. In fact, the paper is delivered by the U.S. Postal Service so they don't care how far away someone is. "Furthermore, cutting back on subscribers seems like stupidest effing idea I've ever heard," the contributor said. "If that were a policy, the person who agreed to it needs a pica pole up the ass. Sideways."

So, says the Leditor Editor, this person is complaining about a dearth of free hyperlocal news because the newspaper allegedly persuaded this person not to pay for it?

Yes, how dare you not give your product away for free for people who don't want to pay for it.

I believe that online is the future. For starters, we'll stop killing trees like they're zombies. It is important for sites to be fresh or that "e-newspaper" is going to be left by the wayside.  At the same time, we have to stop giving them away online.  Right now, advertising on paper is still what business want and if we aren't getting smushed dead trees with ink on them out of the metal boxes, we aren't getting paid. That department store has better chances of someone idly flipping through their glossy circular than any company hoping someone will click the flashing ad in the corner and poke around their site.

When it comes to national news, the physical ad people become a problem because the necessity is for people to be on the site and it would be great if all the ads and viewers were there. This is because, if news isn't posted on the site as it happens some blogger is going to have it everywhere or an online only news site will have it and your version in print the next day is beyond yesterday's news.

With a hyperlocal, where else are they going to get it?  That big city daily doesn't care about the garden club or [SHOT!] JV Football (NOT THE VARSiTY). Until the industry finally gets completely into the late 20th century in 2024, we need to squeeze every penny out of the printed page. You can have a Web site with digital frilly edges and shiny things but don't give away the hyperlocal news.

If they don't like it, tough. It's not like it's not over $2.  If you have concerns about your hippie trees, the Arbor Day Foundation will give you some to plant for a donation.

*As an aside, the contributor said the complaint had to have come during the site's redesign and the naming of new people to update the site. At the time, there was a message that the new site was under construction and those issues just didn't make it online. Only two issues had been missed since the relaunch and that was because those new people forgot they volunteered themselves for the duty. That happened after this e-mail was sent.