Last but not least: City without a newspaper
Will San Francisco, a city of millions, soon be without a daily newspaper? An apocalyptic scenario for a city that has itself produced countless apocalyptic scenarios.
The title is just too good not to copy: In today's edition, Süddeutsche printed an article entitled "City without a newspaper" about the (already repeatedly) reported decline of printed newspapers in the USA, but this time focusing on a very specific problem. There is a possibility that the megacity of San Francisco will soon no longer have a single daily newspaper.
The latest "Report on the State of the News Media" in the USA refers to the city that may soon be without a newspaper. The San Francisco Chronicle is described as one of those newspapers that are so economically weak that they are unlikely to survive the current slump in the advertising market. The Chronicle is the largest newspaper in Northern California and belongs to the Hearst newspaper group. It has not made a profit since 2001, but last year it lost a whopping one million dollars a week.
The fact that the somewhat apocalyptic scenario of a city without a newspaper could come true in the very city that is itself an eager producer of fictional apocalypses is not without a certain comicality. The newspaper's employees, on the other hand, will hardly find it funny; through the union, they have already agreed to several self-imposed restrictions out of necessity: Cuts to maternity leave and protection against dismissal, the extension of working hours from 37.5 to 40 hours and the elimination of 150 jobs. Crises have strange consequences.
The latest "Report on the State of the News Media" in the USA refers to the city that may soon be without a newspaper. The San Francisco Chronicle is described as one of those newspapers that are so economically weak that they are unlikely to survive the current slump in the advertising market. The Chronicle is the largest newspaper in Northern California and belongs to the Hearst newspaper group. It has not made a profit since 2001, but last year it lost a whopping one million dollars a week.
The fact that the somewhat apocalyptic scenario of a city without a newspaper could come true in the very city that is itself an eager producer of fictional apocalypses is not without a certain comicality. The newspaper's employees, on the other hand, will hardly find it funny; through the union, they have already agreed to several self-imposed restrictions out of necessity: Cuts to maternity leave and protection against dismissal, the extension of working hours from 37.5 to 40 hours and the elimination of 150 jobs. Crises have strange consequences.
