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Trouble for Newspapers Spells Trouble for Cartoonists
With newspaper subscriptions continuing to decline, cartoonists are beginning to worry, according to a report in the New York Times. Speaking on the troubles besetting newspapers' print editions, 'Pearls Before Swine' creator Stephan Pastis told the Times, "For a syndicated cartoonist, that's like finally making it to the major leagues and being told the stadiums are all closing, so there's no place to play."
In response, some have decided to built their own stadiums; many cartoonists, and the syndicates that represent them, have taken bit in teeth and turned their attention to the Internet.
The United Feature Syndicate, which represents such comic strips as 'Peanuts' and 'Dilbert,' has begun offering its full archives for free via its Web site at Comics.com. Once the site's administrators did away with a previous paid subscription policy this past November, traffic to the site jumped by nearly half.
Other cartoonists and distributors are following suit: Garfield.com offers e-cards and games, Dilbert.com hosts animated strips, and 'Pearls Before Swine' now has a Facebook page. Nearly all parties are closely watching iPods, iPhones and the like as alternative media for the strips.
The most apparent drawback to an electronic solution? The Sunday morning paper can withstand spilled coffee far better than can a smart phone. [From: New York Times]
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Comments
63
Subscribe to commentsG.L.Jan 4th 2009 8:46AM
I'm not surprised. I lost interest in reading the comics,about, 15 years ago.
reggieJan 4th 2009 1:05PM
'has nothing to do with limited love of reading.
carlJan 4th 2009 9:27AM
for those that want a smile,,go to tundra.com,,,and engoy tundra comics
eddiegJan 4th 2009 9:25AM
i for one never want to see newspapers go,i do love the ease of comupters but will never sit in frount of one to read the news hey n.y.t there are still millions of us that want to keep newspapers alive if not we can go to a.p. stories and just bypass your paper altogether ,what are you thinking!!!
RobertJan 4th 2009 9:42AM
I'm not surprised. People now a days can get news and comices from other sources. Also alot of people don't read the comices any more. I know i stoped reading them at 12 years ago.
mufinmomJan 4th 2009 10:04AM
I love the Sunday newspaper! And my daily. You can hold it,
cut it up, clip articles. It gives me local news like no cyber news
can. We depend on it. Comics are a window on our times.
They are an editorial, satire, or fun look at our culture. Newspaper is a renewable course. Recyclable. You can grow more paper.
You cannot "grow" tech gadget parts! Newspapers can be shared with little energy. Tech gadgets require energy for each user!
Think big picture, not just your convenience. Ach! I'll be called old fashioned, behind the times, etc. My newspaper is cheaper, still, than trying to keep up with the latest tech windows and stuff.
However, I will have both! My tech stuff lets me view more "newspaper" sites around the world !
avidreaderJan 4th 2009 2:09PM
I agree..... and I can look forward to doing the crossword puzzle during my "morning constitution" every day as well.....Not so good with a laptop.... :-)
Gloria-GayeJan 4th 2009 2:48PM
I agree with you. I love to read IN BED with my coffee. I can not read in bed with my computer. Plus, my newspaper DOES NOT CRASH on me when I get to a important part. I hope they do not go away.
WillJan 4th 2009 3:32PM
What? There's quite a lot wrong with this!
For a start, it is NOT a renewable source, renewable means that we can replace it faster than we use it, and accounting for the amount of time that it requires trees to grow..that's not possible. Plus you can't grow paper! You grow trees from which you get paper!
A lot of news updates are actually free. Therefore cheaper than buying a newspaper every day.
It would also require perhaps an email system or something similar to share them, much easier than it is for real objects.
Therefore, who can actually follow this argument?
sundance sallyJan 4th 2009 7:05PM
Will? The arguement is easily followed. You cannot "grow" metal
or many plastics that make up tech gadets. Yes, it takes trees or
other plant material to make paper. That is a given. Newspaper will
decompose. Has a variety of uses around the house inside and out!
Even in the garden to keep weeds down while decomposing. I'd like
to see someone mulch with cellphone, PC, LCD screen and other
parts! My newspapers are not toxic waste (although I'll plead ignorant to not knowing what's in the inks of my locals). The LCD screen? Um,
where do I recycle that? Like my old PC screen which my city will not
just pick up because it is considered "hazardous" and must be taken
to the trash center....FOR A FEE! With tech stuff, you pay for internet
access, electricity to recharge it or run it, not all software is free and
requires $$ to maintain some. Tech stuff continually takes TIME to
learn, update. I remember when TV was free to watch, no cable or
DSL digital costs. Every tech gadget has or has coming some kind of
FEE for monthly useage. If it all crashes? Can't use it by candlelight,
either! Yup, I'm a diehard book and newspaper fan. Not to mention my parakeets would look at me strange if I lined their cage with defunct
Blackberries. :)
MargieJan 4th 2009 10:06AM
There goes the good 'ole days......again. There was nothing like sitting with Grandpa reading the funnies on Sunday mornings.
penpanJan 4th 2009 10:17AM
Oh please. Newspapers aren't struggling. People like drinking coffee and reading the paper. Its easier to carry around work and on the bus than a laptop.
Newpapers are going to shoot themselves in the foot because they
are letting stockholders tell them how to run thier business. If the bean counters won't pay talent what they are worth, they won't get any talent and people will stop reading the paper.
Get the stock jocks out of there and let it be what it is. There is no gold mine to be had, its just paper.
Considerate PersonJan 5th 2009 12:13AM
Haven't you read or listened to the news? Newspaper readership is way way down. The L.A. Times, San Fernando Valley's Daily News, Riverside's Press Enterprise have all reduced the number of copies they print due to this. They all have laid off employees too.
I for one will be sad to see newspapers go. I have found the classified section (especially the Jobs section) to be different between the print and online version. The print version has more ads in them. This is especially important to those people looking for jobs.
howardJan 4th 2009 4:10PM
How unfortunate as the comics were entertaining. The news media only have themselves to blame, however. There liberal biased news was disgusting. I stopped buying the local paper years ago as it was nothing but a promotion for the liberal democratic party. The conservative local newspaper on the other hand is doing well and didn't raise their daily rate and circulation continues to rise. Look also at Time, Newsweek, US News-all the thickness of comic books and they have trouble giving the subscriptions away. Again, constant bashing of the president and promoting liberal democratic diatribe. Good I hope the all fall, but feel sorry for the cartoonists, but not the political clowns. Journalisn no longer exists. Instead of reporting the NEWS, the writrs tried to create news and the people got fed up. I've even stopped watching the local network news, why?? 5-8 min of world and local news bits, 10 min of weather, 5 min of sports, the balance commercials.
peteJan 4th 2009 11:54AM
Easiest way for papers to come back big would be to fire complete editorial staffs and start with new ones. Completly QUIT speechifying about PERSONAL points of view - especially on politics - and give UN-BIASED news. We don't care who you vote for, if you support this prez or that prez, this war or that war. What we DO care about is that you give us the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. That means including ALL the facts. Don't headline that deaths are up in Afghanistan simply because they are down in Iraq. That is still negative support. If you want to tell us that Iraq has less electricity than it did under Saddam, tell us that when Saddam was in charge, ONLY SADDAM HAD ELECTRICITY! And that now, a country that had zero electrical infrastructure now has 50%. You don't like Bush, that's your privledge, paid for by you military men and women. Don't you think it would be fair to at least tell the truth about them?
elJan 4th 2009 11:30AM
I don't think newspapers would be trouble if they reported the news, had breaking stories and just told the truth. Instead they all the subscribe to same movie version of an image they try to portray. They ask no question that would offend or (guess what) get to the truth....People have to go to other places to get the news. The real news!!!
They will loose loose loose until they see why....Well, then, there is always a bail out :)
heybebe06Jan 4th 2009 5:23PM
You mean, lose lose lose?
CJSJan 4th 2009 5:46PM
wow the news papers don't report the news the way you want? omg I can't believe they don't brint slander and what not. stick to your TMZ and magazines that have to post retractions on so many of there stories yea there's your news
JacquieJan 4th 2009 11:16AM
I love my newspaper. I love the comic pages. Every day, I read the paper and then go to the comic page where I read those. Then I work the crossword puzzle on that page. I have watched the newspaper diminish week by week and sadly saw many good writers take the early retirement offered to them by the paper to save money. Hah! Sections of the paper have now been compressed to smaller versions and many have gone by the wayside. I love the internet, but I don't like to sit on the computer to read news. I want to have my paper and my coffee with my breakfast. What do we have to do to help the "powers that be" decide to SAVE the newsprint and the great writers.
PeteJan 4th 2009 11:55AM
BTW, NYT and all the others made great hay over some alleged killings in Hidatha. It was front page above the fold for weeks. How about giving the same ink, over the same time, in the same manner to the fact that NOT ONE ALLEGATION HAS STOOD UP AT TRIAL!! Investigations by the US Marines, Navy, Army, and Iraq courts, International courts, and Amnesty International ALL determined there was NO wrong doing.
If NYT could do a story on 2000 pizzas being delivered to troops in Iraq on July l4 last year, why could they not include something about the occasion that instigated the pizzas - the largest single re-enlistment ceremony in US military history.
News papers are destine to fail for one simple reason - they only report the facts as they wish them to be seen and understood. Ten or twenty years after the fact, a news paper can be pulled up and used as evidence of the opinion of the reporters and editorial staff. This is what kills papers. A non opinionated paper can succed, let the readers letters show opinions, but editors must be unbiased.