Tuesday, April 04, 2017

The Town Talk

I walked outside in the pre-dawn hours to get the Town Talk, the official journal and newspaper for central Louisiana. Since I was a kid, it's been a daily newspaper. For decades we've had a subscription, and it was thrown in our driveway every day, rain or shine.

Belle likes doing the crossword puzzle with her morning coffee, and occasionally there might be a news item of interest. Reading the morning paper is a tradition that is older than I, and one we've enjoyed for many years.  My daily routine is to get up, make coffee, and walk outside to assess the weather and pick up the paper at the end of the driveway.

No more, and not because we've cancelled or anything. It seems that the Town Talk is feeling the crunch that is changing the publishing industry.  The Town Talk is no longer a daily paper.  It will be delivered on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.  I asked Belle if she was keeping the subscription and she said that she'd keep it for a while and see what happens.

I fear that the Town Talk is entering a death spiral of declining subscriptions and advertising revenue.  As much fun as I've had over the years, swearing at the Town Talk, it appears that before long, I'll have to forgo that pleasure.

2 comments:

Sdv1949 said...

I stopped taking the local paper several years ago when I realized I was reading what I'd already read online a day or two ago. I still do the crosswords, USA Today and LA Times, online every day.

HTH, sv

Rivrdog said...

Portland Oregonian also. Was a daily, now only 4x/week: Sat, Sun, Weds, Fri. You can read it online all days though...