Dear Mr. Kurt Soller,
Let's face it! Print-News has been dieing a slow death for quite some time now. I can't recall the exact date, but around the late 1980's or, early 1990's, Sacramento, California was a 2 newspaper community. The Sacramento-Bee won out-over the Sacramento-Union. I personally prefer Print-News media to the on-line alternative, as many people still do. However, if Print-News desires to maintain a viable presence, they will have to change their entire business model, as they have become way too expensive to operate. For example; my wife and I both own and operate small businesses that require the use of classified advertising, but due to the rediculously excessive cost of advertising, we have completely stopped using the Sacramento Bee classifieds, instead, we use a variety of free online mediums, such as "Craigslist", as well as, low cost, area specific Print-News publications, and our responses are almost as good at the very least. As I see it, changing their cost structures, is the only thing that can possibly save news papers from dieing off and becoming an all electronic, digital compromise!

THE MEDIA

An Awkward Obituary

Seattle was a two-newspaper town until one went down. How do you cover your competitor's demise?

By Kurt Soller | NEWSWEEK

Published Mar 28, 2009

From the magazine issue dated Apr 6, 2009

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Posted By: knoknock @ 04/09/2009 9:32:58 AM

Dear Mr. Kurt Soller,
Let's face it! Print-News has been dieing a slow death for quite some time now. I can't recall the exact date, but around the late 1980's or, early 1990's, Sacramento, California was a 2 newspaper community. The Sacramento-Bee won out-over the Sacramento-Union. I personally prefer Print-News media to the on-line alternative, as many people still do. However, if Print-News desires to maintain a viable presence, they will have to change their entire business model, as they have become way too expensive to operate. For example; my wife and I both own and operate small businesses that require the use of classified advertising, but due to the rediculously excessive cost of advertising, we have completely stopped using the Sacramento Bee classifieds, instead, we use a variety of free online mediums, such as "Craigslist", as well as, low cost, area specific Print-News publications, and our responses are almost as good at the very least. As I see it, changing their cost structures, is the only thing that can possibly save news papers from dieing off and becoming an all electronic, digital compromise!

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Posted By: AnnDee3349 @ 04/06/2009 1:13:55 AM

Why cover it at all? Who really cares? There are many, many more pressing matters at hand than that of a fallen rant rag. Give it up, let it die in peace.

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Posted By: hearstscribe @ 04/02/2009 9:06:26 PM

Newsweek should improve the quality of its reporting: As a writer for the Seattle P-I on-line, Hearst certainly hasn't silenced me from talking on radio programs about its post-fish wrapper product. As usual, The Seattle Times was allowed to talk at length about a favorite and endlessly-reported subject -- itself.