Not very long ago it used to be fun to ask an unsuspecting child, (of course they were actually child-like before the advent of their high-tech devices) “What’s black and white, and red all over?” It was a pun on the word “read.” Some smart ones would giggle as they worked it out, and the answer was of course, “A newspaper!”
I don't know too many folks with subscriptions to newspapers any more. At one time you could see who they were because they had special mailboxes for delivery. |
Taking a chance that the old can become new again
They needed money, so they turned to Kickstarter, and very quickly blew past their $10,000 goal. It seemed readers love the idea of receiving a “real” newspaper, especially on two wheels!
Lotsa Layoffs
Part of the problem is how the news is read. Readers no longer peruse all sections of a newspaper. They click on an article that interests them, and that's about it. Reading has changed. If you hand a young reader a newspaper they barely know what it is. They’ll try to swipe it to turn the page! This does not bode well for the future of the newspapers. Demographics show clearly that the backbone of their subscribers are wealthier older readers. And we all know there's a lot of attrition happening there.
Newsprint is the cheap paper widely known for its many useful purposes other than printing newspapers. It was invented by a Canadian, Charles Fenerty. It's mostly wood fiber, recyclable, so great to use as wrapping paper. It's used in many crafts. But will it survive the loss of its original purpose - to use for newspapers?