I Fell Off the Wagon...and Lucky Got His Job Back

(For those of you that have not been following recent posts, I canceled my long time newspaper subscription a few weeks back. See Lucky Lost His Job Today for detail)

I couldn’t do it. I missed my newspaper too much.

Every morning I looked out my window to see, if by chance one had accidentally been left. Lucky stood next to me and howled. I perused the paper online, but never seemed able to get into articles over my breakfast the way I had been able to with the physical paper. I felt as though I was up to date on the headlines, but clueless in regard to the actual subject matter. I found myself squinting a lot to decipher articles found online. My comfort and my convenience had been compromised.

On Saturday, my husband took me to breakfast and I couldn’t believe the person I turned into when the vending machine ate my last dollar and did not produce my beloved paper. Then the Rocky Mountain News went out of business. I called and renewed my subscription.

I once had the good fortune to listen to Craig Newmark, founder of Craig’s List comment on what makes newspapers special. He believed there was a definite niche for the paper because the reader values the comfort and reflection opportunities the venue provides. It offers a time to step away and focus solely on in-depth content, whether at the breakfast table, on a subway commute, or even the restroom. I valued that experience more than I realized. The paper can be duplicated on line with the same information, but the experience of reading the physical paper, cannot. That is why it is my belief that newspapers will survive. It was for the experience I was missing, more so than the actual content, that I renewed my subscription.

Keep in mind, that your residents can get similar physical product anywhere. What they really value, and what they buy and will pay more for, is the experience your community provides.

Lucky has his job back. Every morning he retrieves the paper. I tried to go cold turkey and fell off the wagon, but I’ve got no regrets. I’ve got my experience back.