Natural Wonders: This weekend - the call of the wild

Well, I never touched the print edition, I only read it because it's available online.

I remember how depressing it was when my mom got the Sac Bee, but never had time to read it. I read the funnies, the political columnists, and Ann Landers, and then refolded it for her and set it on a stack. It would pile up next to the tv for weeks, she'd make attempts to catch up, but the next thing you know, the Boy Scouts would have a paper drive and the news would be gone!

My mom died just before she got the internet figured out - she would have loved being able to read papers online. I think the computer will save the newspaper, even though it will not really be a "paper" anymore.

Thank god for the ER. Otherwise we'd have no alternative to the alternative and those boys are just a bit nuts. Not every page is for everybody but everybody can find a page for them.

The ER prints letters from every viewpoint not just the ones that agree with them like the weekly tends to do.

The ER prints local sports stories that help build a sense of community that binds us together.

The ER prints local news that the TV and radio stations frequently quote or even read verbatum on air.

The ER has an editorial policy that is pretty close to the middle, not completely out in left field as the weekly is (and getting much worse since the firing of their editor who was actually a decent guy)

I hope their transition to the internet is succesful and leads the way for others, otherwise we might not be posting here any longer will we? Support your local newspaper! Read! Don't just accept what you are told.

http://www.youtube.com/watch...

The ER IS a good paper and servers the community well. Too bad the circulation dept has such poor customer service and delivery practices or I would still be a subscriber.
I now read it online and of course since I am reading it that way, I eschew the adds

The ER is important to the county, but will cause its own downfall if it does not wake up. First, you need to not only report the news but do some investigative reporting. Having retired from county government and coming from a journalism background, I can't begin to tell you the stories simply not recognized as news by your reporters.

Second, and connected to the first. Get some reporters who actually have some understanding of both the law and law enforcement and how it works. I know the local bar and agencies would put on training for your staff if only you would ask.

Third, get your residential delivery system fixed. I want to subscribe and have several times in the past. I wind up dropping your paper because I cannot get reliable delivery.

We want the ER to survive, but you are shooting yourselves in the head by not making an effort to be relevant and give us something we cannot get from TV....otherwise, Dodo bird here you come.

Cable TV was supposed to kill local TV. It didn't. Satellite radio was supposed to kill local broadcasters. It didn't. I suspect that local print journalism will experience the same fate as these two "doomed" industries.

Want to Subscribe is correct Mr. Little. If you want the ER to survive, the quality of your product has to improve. I know that seems like an impossible task in tough economic times but because of the poor economy it makes it all the more important.

The reporting and the writing in your paper is really amateur. I have lived in major cities for most of my life and perhaps I've been spoiled by a higher caliber of journalism but the ER is really in need of improvement.

Thanks for the column. I hope your paper thrives. It is really important for you to survive as a small city news daily. I'm pulling for you.

I think too David that because the radio media is now largely syndicated, the importance of the community newspapers has increased. Also, local television news have cut their local news budgets and they now have to compete with all the cable and dish channels.

Now give your employees a hug, and a pay raise.

Ha! Your little paper is a mere shell of what it was, your classifieds have died due to Craigslist and other free ad servers, not 'cause fewer people are hiring, and your shrunken staff covers little more than local meetings, car crashes, and let's not forget those pot busts (yawn). There are no investigative stories and you may say you are making money, but only because your staff salaries are just above poverty levels. But as long as the ego-centric editor get to keep a job at his little paper and gets to act as if he knows more than school boards, and local, state, and federal officials, he's happy.

Arrogant editor wrote:

Ha! Your little paper is a mere shell of what it was, your classifieds have died due to Craigslist and other free ad servers, not 'cause fewer people are hiring, and your shrunken staff covers little more than local meetings, car crashes, and let's not forget those pot busts (yawn). There are no investigative stories and you may say you are making money, but only because your staff salaries are just above poverty levels. But as long as the ego-centric editor get to keep a job at his little paper and gets to act as if he knows more than school boards, and local, state, and federal officials, he's happy.

Do I see Sour Grapes in this?

Congratulations to the Chico Enterprise Record and all staff, past and present, for the vital service you have provided, keeping us in touch with our home town and surrounding areas. Being from Chico and living in the Middle East, I am especially grateful for your online service that keeps me closer to my home family and community, and helps me share the real life of my homeland with interested folks abroad. Thanks again, and long may you all wave!