Losing these small hyper local papers worries more than losing the LA Times. They were the “feet in the street” really giving us the scoop on what hits us directly. In my not so humble opinion they often did a better job at neighborhood and issue coverage than the Times. Very sad indeed.

That really is a bummer. City Beat had a great vibe and the Weekly really needs the competition.

Aw, this is sad. It’s like every publication I ever freelanced for is cursed. Oh wait, did I just type that out loud?

Sad news, indeed. I have no business sense whatsoever and have no clue what print media needs to do to survive. I hope someone out there does though. It’s so tough though when just about anyone can open their cell phone and scan headlines, look up events, restaurants, etc.

News outlets need to recognize and emphasize why print remains valuable, if it still does.

If people aren’t picking up the free paper anymore, they need to figure out why.

For me, I stopped getting the LA Weekly on a regular basis after they discontinued the crossword puzzle. And usually, when I grabbed the LA Weekly, I also picked up City Beat.

While only a small part of the equation, I do think stuff like crosswords, comic strips, and coupons, are all things that make grabbing paper more useful than skimming the news on the web. These are the only reasons I largely keep the LA Times subscription.

Weeklies, however, keep sacrificing some of these elements, and seem to think good journalism will be what keeps them going… for better or worse, I would prefer to just read this stuff online.