Earlier in the week the Orange County Register announced changes to its format.
While eliminating the separate Business Section, and putting a reduced version in the main section doesn't mean a thing to me, there is something they are doing that will be a major Pain in the Ass.
The Local section has always been a daily excursion into the goings on in the whole county, several seperate inside pages devoted to the happening in differrent parts of the county.
Well, that's about to change beginning next week.
Now there will be 6 seperate Local Sections, each devoted to one particular region of the county, and so that section will apparently only appear in papers sold in that area or delivered to subscribers in that area.
Folks who want more will have to either buy the paper from each region, or go online to the website.
If you don't have access to a computer, or the time to run around hunting up newspapers, then you will be "You Know What" out of luck in your effort to remain an informed citizen.
As a Subscriber this is troublesome as I will be paying the same price for less information.
Yes, I know times are hard for newspapers all over, but if your intent is to remain a viable, relevant news source, this doesn't seem to be the way to do so.
I may have to consider ending the subscription and relying entirely on the excellent website.
I would miss reading the paper on the bus to and from work, though. ;-D
***UPDATE - 1/29/08***
Register Previews New Look Paper Early for Subscribers?
***END UPDATE***
Surely, the Register is not seeing such hard times as to warrent this?
Orange County cities do not need to be anymore isolated from each other.
I know it is a big place and growing.
I hear a new area code is coming to town!
However, The Register is going to drive away readers, as you say.
Online is just not the same!
Posted by: Jenn | January 28, 2008 at 07:47 PM
Hard to figure out what they are thinking, Jenn.
The population in the county is growing, and changing, and cities are evolving to try to meet the challenges.
The last thing we need is to make it difficult for those with no access to the internet to lose access to the news in the whole county, because of the changes in the newspaper.
The Online Register has it plusses, but not everyone can take advantage of what it offers the reader.
Posted by: The Mad Macedonian | January 29, 2008 at 01:51 AM