Maybe the Enquirer's not the problem
I know... It's a preposterous thought.
It's easy to get mad at The Enquirer. I usually do. When you check out some of the complaints, it's easy to put the blame on the Gannett paper.
But maybe it's not the right thing to do.
I just got back from the new ultra-violent film, the Condemned, and I took away a valuable moral lesson from the movie. The consumer is ultimately responsible for the crap rising to the top.
And yes, The Enquirer is rising to the top. It's one of the few papers in the country that is actually gaining circulation. Off the top of my head I believe it was second nationwide in circulation gains.
No. I'm not advocating the style of journalism that turns newspapers into profit machines driven by money and not principle. I'm just saying that media critics need to take into consideration that the ultimate blame is on the shoulders of the every day reader. After all, The Enquirer, and most successful corporations, are built to find out what the customer wants and then give it to them. News customers just happen to want crappy, short news stories.
It's a shame I know. Luckily, I have the most sophisticated, intelligent readers in the world.
You guys are the best.
It's easy to get mad at The Enquirer. I usually do. When you check out some of the complaints, it's easy to put the blame on the Gannett paper.
But maybe it's not the right thing to do.
I just got back from the new ultra-violent film, the Condemned, and I took away a valuable moral lesson from the movie. The consumer is ultimately responsible for the crap rising to the top.
And yes, The Enquirer is rising to the top. It's one of the few papers in the country that is actually gaining circulation. Off the top of my head I believe it was second nationwide in circulation gains.
No. I'm not advocating the style of journalism that turns newspapers into profit machines driven by money and not principle. I'm just saying that media critics need to take into consideration that the ultimate blame is on the shoulders of the every day reader. After all, The Enquirer, and most successful corporations, are built to find out what the customer wants and then give it to them. News customers just happen to want crappy, short news stories.
It's a shame I know. Luckily, I have the most sophisticated, intelligent readers in the world.
You guys are the best.
Labels: Cincinnati, media
In the documentary Store Wars: When Wal-Mart Comes to Town, there is a telling scene from a court room. The small town advocates opposed to Wal-Mart's development were testifying against the Wal-Mart attorney.
An opponent read from Sam Walton's book, where he said he'd never build a Wal-Mart in a town where one was not wanted. The lawyer's response? "We believe the best way to judge whether people want a Wal-Mart is how many people shop there once it's opened."
That thinking always stuck with me. Once it's open, it's too late. The newness will attract people to see what's happening with it. The prices will be lower. It will be just too easy to deny going there.
Next thing you know, the local economy collapses. Small family businesses disappear. Towns are decimated. Store fronts site empty and Wal-Mart becomes the heart of the town -- right off the highway, as traveler stop, shop, and leave.
And once that happens, it is too late. You can't go back. You can't stop shopping, because the healthy (and I don't use that word only in a biological sense) options are disappeared.
So we are left with the behemoth, and we must rally to make the monster behave responsibly, or we will be raped.
Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati | 6:12 AM
There were no seat belts in cars for decades. Was it because people didn't care about safety or cause the car companies didn't want to spend a few extra dollars per car to add safety features?
Have you seen "Who Killed the Electric Car"?
Posted by Anonymous | 10:55 AM