Print Media in the Recycling Box - Further Update to the Update
When I was growing up, the paper was very important to my father. Our beloved Dauphin Herald came every Wednesday and the other week days, we got the Daily Bulletin. We were a Winnipeg Tribune family. My dad and I used to do the crossword puzzle together. By that, I mean that we sat in the green recliner in his den and he did the crossword and I watched him. This was before "Crossword dictionaries" or the internet, of course. But, my dad had the first dictionary that he ever bought. It was purchased new in 1929 when he was a teenager. A big hardcover dictionary with masking tape holding it together because it had been used so much. Whenever we came across a word I didn't know, I would ask my dad what it meant and he would instruct me to look it up and read it out loud. It kept me occupied and it was my own little "reading recovery" session. We spent a lot of time together with that dictionary. I still have it and it gathers dust on the shelving unit in my living room, but that dictionary is very important to me.
My father used to read the paper cover to cover. My mom claimed she never read the paper but she did. They used to have lively political discussions at the supper table. My dad supported one party and my mother supported another. They both needed to be up-to-date in order to have good discussions. And, that is what it was. Good discussions. They didn't argue. They canceled each other's vote in elections but they both still voted. I'm not saying my parents had a perfect marriage, but even though they disagreed on politics, it never affected their marriage. They say never to discuss religion or politics at a social gathering. Actually, I have come to think that this is the wrong approach. We need to learn to discuss these issues and role model that it is ok to disagree and still be cordial. I think that is why politics are so nasty today. Most people don't have a foundation of cordial discussion at the dinner table.
My s but fect as I thought. I did idolize my father, but believe me, I knew he wasn't perfect. I saw the way he treated his paperboys or papergirls. He didn't discriminate. My father had his ideas of what made a good paperboy and what made a horrible paperboy and he wasn't afraid to share it. If you can think of a normal mild-mannered parent who turns into a raging lunatic when watching their child play sports, well, that is how my dad was with paperboys. I would say he had customer service on speed dial but this was decades before customer service. I remember a mother calling my mother and complaining that my dad got her son fired from his paper route. My mom was embarrassed. My dad got on the phone and reemed her out. He said he had given corrective feedback to the lad and he hadn't responded and gave three chances to improve so he was actually doing them all a favour so that her son could learn from this a work ethic and that she could learn not to coddle him and prepare him for the real world.
It was a very sad day in our family when the Trib ceased to exist. It took a week before we signed up for the Wpg Free Press as we were very local Trib readers but my dad needed his paper.
As my dad aged, he became more mellow with his paper carriers and he even had favorites, but, you still didn't want to cross him. Everytime we got a new carrier, my dad would spend a few minutes orientating the new carrier with his expectations, so that seemed to help a lot. When his favorite carrier quit his route, he stayed with his successor for a few days just to give him the tips of the route. My dad was very proud.
When I got my first adult job, (job with a pension plan), I became a subscription holder of the paper. I vowed not to be like my dad. I was going to be extra nice to my paper carriers. My first carrier wasn't that great but I always went running after work so I didn't have much contact with him. I seemed to be never home when he came to collect so I didn't give him any slack because I was always owing him money. One time when we caught up to each other, and I had to pay him about three months worth of papers, I offered to "pay ahead" three months so that this wouldn't happen again. My paper carrier said he didn't like that idea. This was in November. I said I felt really bad that I was always owing so much so I thought this was good for both of us. He said that wouldn't work for him because if I paid ahead, then he would miss collecting in December and miss his Christmas tip. You had to admire his spirit.
It took another decade but I guess it was inevitable. I turned into my father. By that time, the Free Press had gone to morning delivery bu it was still afternoons for those of us living in rurual North West Ontario. I had two babies to take care of and that newspaper was an important connection to the outside world. I thought it was reasonable to expect my paper by 5 pm. I never called customer service in Wpg. This is because we had a local person who handled customer service. She heard from me more than once.
Then, I moved to Wpg and got very spoiled getting my newspaper by 5:30 am. This was perfect. I could enjoy my paper with a cup of coffee in peace before anyone got up. One Saturday, my paper just didn't show up. I'm reasonable so I waited until 9:00 am to phone customer service. No problem. They would get another paper delivered right a way. And, it happened. All good. Then, a couple of months later, it happened again. I phoned customer service agahin, but this time, I got a recording, "Oh, I see you have had problems in the past. Please hold so that your call can be transferred to a specialized agent who deals with customers who are problematic." I hung up. I was not a problematic customer. I went and bought my paper from a machine.
Currently, my sweetie and I get the Free Press and the Sun daily. I never thought I would be a Sun subscriber but I am impressed at 3 am when I hear them drop it off. I still have problems with the Free Press but one of the problems is not their doing. I live in a building. It turns out there are only 2 subscribers of the Free Press in our building. There are more than a few people who are over 55. My paper is always late on Saturday mornings, but it is not the fault of the carrier. I only discovered this when I had an early flight out of Winnipeg. On Saturdays, there is a crowd in the lobby at 5:00 am waiting to grab the two papers that come to our building. They tell the carrier that they will ensure it gets to where it is supposed to go. Then, the crowd divides into two to read the obituaries. I have learned to live with this.
What really pisses me off is that with our Free Press subscription, we are eligible to read articles online with up to four email addressed. My sweetie had no problem registering his email. Despite my attempts and my calls to "technical support", I have been unable to register my email address. When I have called "technical support", they give me the brilliant answer of, "yup, that's how you do it, it should work" and hang up before I can say, "well, it doesn't". So, when someone posts a link on facebook for an article that I might have missed, I can't view it. It makes me a little batty since I am one of the few who actually has a subscription. Don't get me started on not having Sunday service including in our "full package" subscription.
The reason that I am so infuriated is that print media is a dying industry. The number of subscriptions is lowering all the time. People are getting their news from social media. Print media is trying to counteract by printing sensational stories without much fact checking. The quality of journalism is just not what it used to be. I often say to friends, |"did you read that article?" and they have not. Can you send me the link?
The number of subscriptions is important to the newspaper industry. They use these numbers to get advertising. The higher the number of subscriptions, the more they can charge for ads. Ad revenue counts for the vast amount of their revenue.
So, why isn't it common sense for them to provide superior customer service to their few subscribers. I already deal with a Saturday paper that has been read by many people. To quote my father,"it looks like a dog's breakfast" when I get it. I already have to get up and go somewhere to get my Sunday newspaper. Although sometimes I go in my pyjamas, I most often have to get dressed to do this. Is it too much to ask that you help me register to read your articles online??
THIS MORNING, IN MY PAPER, THERE WAS A CARD ADDRESSED TO DEAR NEIGHBOUR WITH AN ANONYMOUS NOTE THANKING ME FOR LETTING THEM READ MY PAPER AND A GIFT CARD.
#LOVEISEVERYWHERE
Count your blessings !!!
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