Yesterday, it took me only 4 minutes and 32 seconds to read the paper. It was the thinnest paper I can remember in a long time. Today, there was a very good editorial on legislative efforts to block the $2.3 billion loan boondoggle to DM&E railroad (the fact that this loan/subsidy/pork ever saw the light of day and is seriously being considered by the federal government stands as a terrific example of what is so horribly wrong with Washington these days), and I spent 15 minutes and 12 seconds reading the paper.
My daily recommendation to the dailies is that if you set up a service on your site to email me content, please do not send me spam. I signed up for a Star Tribune service out of curiosity and the naive belief that I might begin receiving interesting local tidbits. Instead, 90% of the emails I receive are coupons and promotions from local businesses. It is the digital equivalent of the Sunday inserts. And while some people might consider coupons content, I do not. Every daily paper in the country should take a look at Daily Candy – it is one of the best examples I’ve seen of how local newspapers should be leveraging their business models to deliver a unique, valuable service to their readers.