Slog News & Arts

Line Out

Music & Nightlife

« Angry Like A Fox | The Undeniable Attractiveness ... »

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

2007

posted by on December 5 at 12:51 PM

I’ve never in my whole life been without a subscription to the local daily. But today, I canceled my subscriptions to the PI and Seattle Times. It wasn’t a protest. It’s that I read both papers on-line, and the print editions were just piling up in my living room.

2007 is the year everything has changed. And really, this was on my To Do list months ago.

After hanging up the phone, I suddenly felt I’d made a mistake.

But that’s just the human brain playing its tricks to save a comfortable routine.

RSS icon Comments

1

Interesting.

I was going to let my Wall Street Journal subscription lapse and subscribe to the PI ...

Posted by Will in Seattle | December 5, 2007 12:50 PM
2

I've been tempted to do that, but I feel like if I'm going to be a regular reader I ought to pay to help keep them in business.

Posted by Orv | December 5, 2007 12:51 PM
3

I've been reading the paper online for years. The only thing I really, truly miss about the hard copy is the daily Sudoku and Word Search. :(

Posted by Katelyn | December 5, 2007 12:54 PM
4

well if they go and offer it for free online.. durrrr.

Posted by Cale | December 5, 2007 12:56 PM
5

Please keep us up to date on your switch to virtual toilet paper. I'm fascinated to hear how that turns out for you Josh.

Posted by left coast | December 5, 2007 12:59 PM
6

Nice try. They will still be delivered to your home. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!

Posted by DOUG. | December 5, 2007 1:01 PM
7

I thought 9/11 changed everything?

Posted by Mike in MO | December 5, 2007 1:02 PM
8

I subscribe to the Financial Times (office) and we get the Sunday New York Times at the house but yeah, I wouldn't subscribe to a local broadsheet. As bad as Frank Blethen is, I don't wanna line his pockets. We'll probably stop the NYT here soon anyways cause it too is piling up.

There isn't really a daily paper in the US worth reading daily anymore.

Posted by Dave Coffman | December 5, 2007 1:27 PM
9

DOUG @6 is right. I dare you to get them to stop delivering.

Posted by Jseattle | December 5, 2007 1:27 PM
10

I subscribed to the PI starting when I moved back to Seattle in 1991. The year I canceled it for the very same reason you cite Josh. I don't feel like I've missed out on anything, thanks to the online edition.

Posted by david in wedgwood | December 5, 2007 1:34 PM
11

If I did that, what would I read on the bus?

Posted by N in Seattle | December 5, 2007 1:39 PM
12

And don't forget, the print version has the comix.

Posted by Will in Seattle | December 5, 2007 2:11 PM
13

I enjoyed ?Elaine Thompson's? photo of the Chehalis flooding on the P.I.s cover today. And the kayaker next to the road sign on page 7 or thereabouts was rad too.

Hey Fnarf, lately I've dipped into their blog under an alias, looks like I might be switching interests on a more substantive level, or cutely I type, "cancelled" "subscriptions" "made a mistake" "brain playing tricks" - fuck, this petty shit is wearing thin. Waddya say? check it out?

Oh I guess this might be sockpuppettry, or Flouting or Farting or whatever the powers-that-be term it.

Posted by June Bee | December 5, 2007 3:11 PM
14

"After hanging up the phone, I suddenly felt I’d made a mistake."

But it was too late. The seed had been sown.

The next day, I called Tim Keck and begged him to put a stop to the print edition of The Stranger. "What's the bloody POINT?" I sobbed. "It's all going down the shitter anyway."

I found consolation in the fact that Slog now had a higher readership than the Bible.

Posted by Will in 98103 | December 5, 2007 3:46 PM
15

I feel pretty much the same way about The Stranger.

I religiously (hah!) picked up a paper copy every week for years. About 2 years ago I switched to the online version. I only pick up a paper copy a few times a year now.

But at least I still read The Stranger (online) regularly. Can't say the same for either of the dailies.

Posted by SDA in SEA | December 5, 2007 4:13 PM
16

On Wednesdays ,as a matter of routine, I used to go to Dad Watsons in Fremont to read The Stranger and drink an IPA. I've had to give up this longstanding ritual because The Stranger has failed to deliver the paper to Dad Watsons before 7:00 PM of late. I've gotten so used to not reading The Stranger that I don't even bother to pick up a copy when I see it in the rack at Whole Foods on Saturdays.

Posted by Ritual | December 5, 2007 5:09 PM
17

Once a week, I get out the Wahl trimmer and shave my cranium. I stand, naked, on several spread out sections of The Pee-Eye to catch all the fallen hairs.

Were I to cancel my subscription, I would have to stop shaving my head. And really, can the world do without another middle-aged white guy with a shaved head?

I didn't think so either.

Posted by Dr_Awesome | December 5, 2007 6:48 PM
18

OMG @17 can we please get the word out for men to stop doing that. Every guy at my gym is bald, and it is skeeving me out. Captain Picard is memory, and you guys just look like an extra from some horrific German gay porn flick (I'm guessing). I don't know what I'd do if I were losing my hair and I sympathize, but please stop with this bald thing. And for Christ's sake don't shave your eyebrows too (or don't do it if you're eyebrows are translucent).

Posted by Yeesh | December 5, 2007 8:13 PM
19

@3 - you can play Sudoku and other games on msnbc.com

Posted by SeattleBrad | December 5, 2007 8:21 PM
20

The only times I have read a newspaper in the last couple of years has been on my days off work when the temperature has been over 70 degrees F. Twenty years ago, I would read up to three or four newspapers on my days off, even when it was cold outside.

Not that it matters so much, but 75 cents for the daily and 2 dollars for the Sunday paper(with hardly any coupons anymore)don't exactly inspire me to be a regular subscriber.

Plus, you can get comics online for free.

Posted by lawrence clark | December 6, 2007 7:18 AM

Comments Closed

In order to combat spam, we are no longer accepting comments on this post (or any post more than 14 days old).