Offside Number 76 Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 This is unfortunate but inevitable and necessary. I don't subscribe, mostly because I don't want the newsprint piling up, so I've been reading for free for years. If the tablet version is truly a copy of the paper (as opposed to what a lot of magazines do), I'll subscribe that way; if not, I'll become a Sunday-only print edition subscriber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Senator Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 (edited) First off..looking at Margaret's picture...Yes! Um...sure...give it a go... Edited June 15, 2012 by The Senator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtbag Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 it's worth it for the graham/sully video chats alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy10 Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 While it will suck not being able to peruse the local news from afar, I certainly understand why papers can't give away their product for free. We recently subscribed to the big local paper down here, the Raleigh News and Observer. We got the Fri-Sat-Sun weekend package and have been enjoying it. I'm in my mid-30s and very much a digital-only kind of guy. But, there's just something undeniably pleasant about flipping through the paper with a cup of coffee on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Plus, we have a two year old son, so I feel reading something hardcopy sets a good example for him (same with his books we read before bedtime). Yeah, I could get all the content on my iPad, but it's too easy to get sidetracked and fart around on TBD or YouTube or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zow2 Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Since my parents still live up in BLo and have a printed subscription will they be able to give me their "free" digital subscription? I wonder how that's going to work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOBILLS78 Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Since my parents still live up in BLo and have a printed subscription will they be able to give me their "free" digital subscription? I wonder how that's going to work? I'm sure they will. It's probably just an email address and password. At least, that's the experience I've had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullim4 Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 A paid subscription model for online newspapers isn't going to work. There are still plenty of other sources of news on the web that offer content for free - local TV/radio stations being the primary source. For sports you have so many blogs (PFT, rotoworld, nfl.com, etc) that will never charge for news articles. These folks are used to giving away their content for "free" in return for advertising and the web is simply another vehicle for that. Frankly the print model is where most papers are bleeding money. It costs a lot of money to contract out to a printing company, run a network of drivers who deliver your papers, and handle customer service. The price of a print subscription in no way makes up for the actual costs that are incurred. This is a case of an industry refusing adapt to a clear technological shift - a la Sony with the walkman and mp3 players/digital music. The Seattle P-I, while I do not agree with their political bent, has been largely successful in transferring to online-only. Hearst hasn't shut them down after 3 years of running with this model (and rumor has it that they haven't been losing any money) so something must be going right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 What they need to do, IMO, is offer out of towners an option to just get the sports section, for perhaps $1.00 a week instead of $2.50. I love Buffalo but I do not need to read the local news, or see local ads, of what's going on in the city in entertainment. I will read 2-3 articles a day in the sports section and that is it. I would gladly pay $50 a year for that, especially if it helped the paper keep in business. I just don't want to pay for the whole thing because I will never look at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 A paid subscription model for online newspapers isn't going to work. There are still plenty of other sources of news on the web that offer content for free - local TV/radio stations being the primary source. For sports you have so many blogs (PFT, rotoworld, nfl.com, etc) that will never charge for news articles. These folks are used to giving away their content for "free" in return for advertising and the web is simply another vehicle for that. Yeah, I'm sure this will drive all the cheepskates to the Bleecher Report for their incisive Bills coverage. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.. What they need to do, IMO, is offer out of towners an option to just get the sports section, for perhaps $1.00 a week instead of $2.50. Yeah, along the lines of what the Dallas Morning News does for $2.31 per week. Doubt it will happen, but it would be a good revenue source given all the ex pats former residents... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 What they need to do, IMO, is offer out of towners an option to just get the sports section, for perhaps $1.00 a week instead of $2.50. I love Buffalo but I do not need to read the local news, or see local ads, of what's going on in the city in entertainment. I will read 2-3 articles a day in the sports section and that is it. I would gladly pay $50 a year for that, especially if it helped the paper keep in business. I just don't want to pay for the whole thing because I will never look at it. It's sort of the hybrid model that NYT & FT have out there - a set number of free articles/30 day period, then you have to pay. NYT & FT cut you off at 30 freebies, BN will give you 10 freebies/month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bufcomments Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 My wife is in the newspaper biz. Things are even worse than we realize at a lot of dalies. The whole industry is circling the drain. One of the big reasons is that local businesses are slow to adopt web advertising. The other reason, believe it or not, is Craiglist. Want ads used to be a cash cow for papers and Craigslist killed it almost overnight. I read the Buffalo News more than the local rags so I will probably subscribe too. There are so many Buffalonians living elsewhere that it ought to work well. PTR yea Craigslist, bet it took some serious coin away from Newspapers. Back in the day the only way to sell something was in the paper. I dont mind them charging, as a matter of fact they should have done it long time ago. I haven't bought a weekly newspaper in yrs. why would you if you could get it online for free ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meathead Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 surprised they havent done it already by now i will probably get a sunday subscription if i stay in this area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 (edited) That sucks, particularly for those of us out of town, but you can't blame them. Print media is dying. This is the future. If you like to read it, you just subscribe. In town or out of town. Edited June 15, 2012 by CodeMonkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 It's sort of the hybrid model that NYT & FT have out there - a set number of free articles/30 day period, then you have to pay. NYT & FT cut you off at 30 freebies, BN will give you 10 freebies/month. Right. It's not a horrible model. It's not bad for people who will eventually read the whole paper or a decent portion of it online or on an iPad or other tablet. But for someone who doesn't live in the city, and doesn't really care all that much about anything other than the sports news, which I think is a HUGE audience for the BuffNews, I think they find a LOT more people willing to subscribe for a buck a week for what they want rather than 2.50 a week for 90% they will never even skim through in 10 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 It's sort of the hybrid model that NYT & FT have out there - a set number of free articles/30 day period, then you have to pay. NYT & FT cut you off at 30 freebies, BN will give you 10 freebies/month. IIRC, the NYT is cutting down to 10 per month. Their model is what has started to propel all this at faster than the snail's pace. Gotta agree with Kelly about a sports-only subscription for out-of-town fans, but I'm not sure how feasible that is WRT making a special/partial access parameter for just one section. I'm not sure how much it would entail to create such an option. You don't ask the supermarket to remove half the loaf of bread b/c that's all you'll need. It will probably remain an all-or-nothing proposition, as Sports is one of the most popular sections; if people want it, they'll pay for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Will the new Bills Blog, whatever it is called, be accessible to just those with a plan? I think it should be, as that seems like it is going to the best place for Bills news anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAWNDO Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Since it has not been said Warren Buffet is cheap!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Since it has not been said Warren Buffet is cheap!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spun Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 I grew up in a family that always had a home newspaper subscription. We had the nightly Buffalo Evening News (later known as the morning/daily The Buffalo News after the sad demise of the Courier) and the Sunday Courier Express. Then and now I have always appreciated journalism. I didn't and don't always agree with what turns up on the pages but that is part of why I read. I enjoy a full debate. Today, I read the print edition of the Sunday L.A. Times. The local San Diego Union-Tribune (SD U-T) is junk. With the internet and Facebook in particular, I have eleven different newspapers scrolling through my FB homepage. This access to newspapers far and wide is what is greatest about the internet. I read news from various favorite cities and some in French and Spanish. I fully understand the publisher's need to optimize their profits through a revised business model. That model may be the best way for newspapers to survive. But as a reader, we have lost something significant in losing what was the newspaper before and after the arrival of the internet if that future means pay as we go. I wish I could pay for all of the newspapers that I browse through. But of course, I can't. (I have yet to utilize RSS). I do what I can to support journalism. When traveling, I always return with a stack of the destination city's fishwrap(s). (I still prefer the actual newspaper). Locally, I buy papers and leave them in the pile at coffee shops. Today, it seems like people are reading less of most everything but status updates and texts. So many people don't use the public libraries. People are reading less books, magazines and newspapers. Bookstores are closing down. And I don't believe the "readers" (nook, i-pad) have served as a suitable alternative (yet?) for former book, magazine and newspaper readers. However, all is not lost if we still partipate in journalism (yes, that includes barbs at you Jerry Sullivan). As for me and The Buffalo News, we will see. I live to read and I live for the news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Um...sure...give it a go... :sick: Wow...that sure looks different . Ah, WTH...STILL YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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