layout: post title: "Darren Barefoot: Exciting News Indeed" created: 1075396920 categories:

• Vancouver

Darren writes about how the Vancouver Sun and Province newspapers have launched online versions -- except, of course, when he called to ask how much, the salesperson didn't know:

As I was instructed to do, I called the Vancouver Sun today, to enquire about the pricing of the electronic edition. I'm never going to pay for it, but I wondered about the price. Get this: they didn't know. They announced this service on page three of the paper and online today but couldn't tell me how much it cost. In fact, the skilled saleswoman who answered my call suggested that I "call back next week." Wow, CanWest Global Communications, way to sell that product.

Darren Barefoot: Exciting News Indeed

In Ottawa, I used to get tons of calls about subscribing to the dead-tree version (usually to the Ottawa Sun, rather than the Ottawa Citizen). I told them I got all my news online or from the radio, and didn't read the newspaper. We've had subscriptions in the past, but I banned them, because by the end of just one week, there would be piles of unread newspapers all over the house.

I will pick up and read a newspaper if it's around, especially in places like the ferry (they even have a recycle area where you can go to grab newspapers), but pay for them? Very rare instances. Do I feel for them? No, not really. They haven't changed with the times. The transition, just like the transition to online music, is going to be difficult and painful.

The Dominion and theDominion Weblog are an interesting "grassroots national newspaper". With RSS feeds, of course.