Thursday, October 30, 2008

Lancaster Post suspension "a little sad"

Very surprised to read your piece announcing the suspension of publishing for the Lancaster Post. As one who enjoys reading a newspaper on actual paper, it made me a
little sad. The Post was not a great paper. But then again, great papers are not built in 6 short months. It had its very interesting pieces,especially the Side by Side feature which offered both sides on a current, relevant issue of the day.

Unfortunately, The Post included more than its share of filler. Is Lancaster just burning to know how people meet and marry?

Is there really a dearth of recipes in the kitchens of our fair town? Do we need a puzzle page in an already brief number of pages?

More unfortunate was the amount of time and space devoted to the dramas involving the publishers themselves. Interesting? Sure, on a salacious level. But self-
serving stories are not enough to build a regular reader base willing to trek off to a little red box every week.

And if the focus of the publishers does not shift toward real news with broader appeal to its readers, the online version will be no more successful.