As I bid farewell to the USAToday sports page - The Orange Mane

-Slap- · 09-08-2004, 08:35 PM

Well, the Nation's Newspaper finally pulled the trigger and went up to 75 cents this week. I knew this was coming, but I just can't justify six bits for a paper full of pie charts and stick figures. I will miss the sports page and I'll continue to buy the Friday edition for the football coverage. I know I can get all the same information on the net, but I've always liked the portability of the printed page.

Its sad that Gannett decided to make this move, as I'm sure there will be a ripple effect throughout the industry. The local rag, the Las Vegas-Review Journal is one of the worst newspapers in the country and they were priced at 50 cents way before most other local newspapers made the jump. I'm sure they're thrilled to see this increase and internally debating when they should follow suit.

I will miss the USAToday. Despite its superficial approach to world news, there has never been a better sports page. You better believe that nobody else was giving capsule comments on every teams' top picks the day after the NFL Draft back in 1980.

No other newspaper that was founded in the last 30 years has survived more than a few years. I'll be interested to see how a 50% increase in price affects their circulation. I know I'm not the only one dropping them.

Crushaholic · 09-08-2004, 08:38 PM

It will be interesting to see how many more people boycott USA Today. I haven't bought a USA Today since the price increase, but that's only because I'm lazy...

Breck Bronc · 09-08-2004, 09:10 PM

I'm a sucker for USA Today. If I'm at a gas station or airport I'll routinely pick up the multicolored fish wrap. I always read the red (sports) and purple (entertainment) sections, never even bothering to look at the main or business sections.

The price change won’t really deter me from buying the paper. Everything else goes up in price, I can handle an extra quarter every once in a while. The other day I went to a McDonald’s for the first time in ages and was shocked at how much an extra value meal cost. Maybe it’s better that garbage is overpriced and people will stop eating it and getting fat.

I also enjoy USA Today’s Sports Weekly paper that comes out every Tuesday. It covers baseball and pro football pretty well, though with the internet a lot of the information is not as timely and useful.

Oh yeah, I hate Rudy Martze, yet I always read his Sports on TV columns.

TheNextStep · 09-08-2004, 09:15 PM

I stopped buying newspapers altogether when I subscribed to the Houston Chronicle a few years back and then discovered that I was reading the same articles I had read the day before on the internet, verbatim.

TexanBob · 09-08-2004, 09:34 PM

I was never fond of McPaper although I've bought their "Baseball Weekly" (now "Sports Weekly") on occasion. About the only time I read USA Today is if it's a freebie at a hotel or an airport.

As for the price increase, the newspaper is a dying media which will die for good around the same time as network newscasts. A printing press will never be as efficient as the web is.

09-08-2004, 08:35 PM	#1
-Slap- Ring of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 31,895	As I bid farewell to the USAToday sports page Well, the Nation's Newspaper finally pulled the trigger and went up to 75 cents this week. I knew this was coming, but I just can't justify six bits for a paper full of pie charts and stick figures. I will miss the sports page and I'll continue to buy the Friday edition for the football coverage. I know I can get all the same information on the net, but I've always liked the portability of the printed page. Its sad that Gannett decided to make this move, as I'm sure there will be a ripple effect throughout the industry. The local rag, the Las Vegas-Review Journal is one of the worst newspapers in the country and they were priced at 50 cents way before most other local newspapers made the jump. I'm sure they're thrilled to see this increase and internally debating when they should follow suit. I will miss the USAToday. Despite its superficial approach to world news, there has never been a better sports page. You better believe that nobody else was giving capsule comments on every teams' top picks the day after the NFL Draft back in 1980. No other newspaper that was founded in the last 30 years has survived more than a few years. I'll be interested to see how a 50% increase in price affects their circulation. I know I'm not the only one dropping them.

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09-08-2004, 08:38 PM	#2
Crushaholic Armchair Poster Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Topeka, KS Posts: 22,043	It will be interesting to see how many more people boycott USA Today. I haven't bought a USA Today since the price increase, but that's only because I'm lazy...

09-08-2004, 09:10 PM	#3
Breck Bronc Roland Deschain The Gunslinger Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 4,058	I'm a sucker for USA Today. If I'm at a gas station or airport I'll routinely pick up the multicolored fish wrap. I always read the red (sports) and purple (entertainment) sections, never even bothering to look at the main or business sections. The price change won’t really deter me from buying the paper. Everything else goes up in price, I can handle an extra quarter every once in a while. The other day I went to a McDonald’s for the first time in ages and was shocked at how much an extra value meal cost. Maybe it’s better that garbage is overpriced and people will stop eating it and getting fat. I also enjoy USA Today’s Sports Weekly paper that comes out every Tuesday. It covers baseball and pro football pretty well, though with the internet a lot of the information is not as timely and useful. Oh yeah, I hate Rudy Martze, yet I always read his Sports on TV columns.

09-08-2004, 09:15 PM	#4
TheNextStep The Enemy Within Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 2,814	I stopped buying newspapers altogether when I subscribed to the Houston Chronicle a few years back and then discovered that I was reading the same articles I had read the day before on the internet, verbatim.

09-08-2004, 09:34 PM	#5
TexanBob Don't Argue With Me You Know I'm Right Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 5,023 Adopt-a-Bronco: Darris Nash	I was never fond of McPaper although I've bought their "Baseball Weekly" (now "Sports Weekly") on occasion. About the only time I read USA Today is if it's a freebie at a hotel or an airport. As for the price increase, the newspaper is a dying media which will die for good around the same time as network newscasts. A printing press will never be as efficient as the web is.