Why newspapers fail
Actually, that headline is a bit of a tease. We already know why they fail: they are owned by big corporations interested mainly in profits, the Internet took all the readers, the economy and blah blah blah. I think the real reason is that they can’t get the paper delivered on time.
At least in my case.
I spent most of the summer reading the Washington Post, so when I came home, the thought of paying money to read my local daily again was a bit painful. I mean, how could it possibly match up? I decided to subscribe to the Wall Street Journal instead.
Then I got a call from a telemarketer with some deals on subscriptions to the local paper, and I was tempted, although before I left town for the summer, the paper was delivered late more often than not. I said I’d think about it; not getting the paper on time irritated me constantly. The telemarketer said he’d call back the next day.
He didn’t. I called the paper’s customer service folks twice and they said they didn’t have anything to do with outside telemarketers. The woman I talked to couldn’t understand what I meant when I pointed out that they were, in fact, being represented by this company and they should be concerned about the lack of followup. She merely repeated her assertion. She also wouldn’t give me the deal the telemarketer offered.
I hung up and called the paper and said I would like to speak to someone in circulation, and they connected me right back to the same woman in customer service. Frustrated, I looked up the circulation manager on the paper’s web site and dialed him directly. His assistant answered and most graciously apologized for all the hassles and took my information for my subscription.
Two hours later I received a phone call from some anonymous voice at the newspaper asking if I REALLY would like to start getting the paper (what? a new subscriber?). They asked how I intended to pay for it, and I had to explain that I had just given the director’s assistant all my info. They said they would check with her.
As soon as I hung up, the phone rang and it’s the telemarketing firm again, asking if I would like to subscribe to the paper. Were I a cartoon, steam would have started pouring from my ears. GADS! I won’t even go into the several phone calls needed to get my WSJ subscription started.
All in all, it took five days, 6 or 7 people and multiple phone calls just to get two papers plopped near my door. The next day I awoke a bit earlier than usual, eager to start the day with a cup of coffee and the newspaper.
No paper. Delivery guy was late. Again.