# I was away for awhile. Did the subscription thing pan out? Are we rich yet? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 13, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-away-for-awhile-did-the-subscription-thing-pan-out-are-we-rich-yet/316882 "2005-08-13T18:17:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-away-for-awhile-did-the-subscription-thing-pan-out-are-we-rich-yet/316882/1 "2005-08-13T18:17:38Z")
Well? ---
**Author:** ![Mac\_Guffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mac\_Guffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mac_Guffin)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-away-for-awhile-did-the-subscription-thing-pan-out-are-we-rich-yet/316882/2 "2005-08-13T18:38:33Z")
Nope. It didn’t work. The Reader went broke and shut us down. This is a figment of your imagination. Seek counciling. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-away-for-awhile-did-the-subscription-thing-pan-out-are-we-rich-yet/316882/3 "2005-08-13T18:48:29Z")
> [@Mac Guffin](#): > > Nope. It didn’t work. The Reader went broke and shut us down. This is a figment of your imagination. Seek counciling. I did! The members of the council, after some debate, proclaimed that my grip on reality was as strong and firm as a pangolin’s tail, and that I was fit to post again… and again. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-away-for-awhile-did-the-subscription-thing-pan-out-are-we-rich-yet/316882/4 "2005-08-13T20:20:38Z")
Well, there were, probably… ain’t gonna look it up…a dozen bannings since they took it public. Nobody was offered a refund if you were tossed, so, that’s clear profit right there, no? …and my spell check just offered to change BANNINGS to BANANAS. sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-away-for-awhile-did-the-subscription-thing-pan-out-are-we-rich-yet/316882/5 "2005-08-13T20:22:26Z")
> [@ltfire](#): > > Well, there were, probably… ain’t gonna look it up…a dozen bannings since they took it public. Nobody was offered a refund if you were tossed, so, that’s clear profit right there, no? > > …and my spell check just offered to change BANNINGS to BANANAS. > sheesh. A dozen bananas? Now I’m hungry! ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-away-for-awhile-did-the-subscription-thing-pan-out-are-we-rich-yet/316882/6 "2005-08-13T21:24:20Z")
Some things are best not known to man or animal. But! Everyday face north to Chicago and chant Ceeeecil…Ceeeecil. Or maybe Ed. I would like to know how things are going in Cecil land though. Admins? ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-away-for-awhile-did-the-subscription-thing-pan-out-are-we-rich-yet/316882/7 "2005-08-13T21:30:56Z")
> [@astro](#): > > A dozen bananas? Now I’m hungry! You ain’t no hollaback girl! ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-away-for-awhile-did-the-subscription-thing-pan-out-are-we-rich-yet/316882/8 "2005-08-14T17:10:23Z")
The last information on this subject I got from Ed was that we are more or less meeting expenses at least and perhaps even generating a tiny profit for the Reader, so all is well. It’s not like we are expected to be a huge profit center for the Reader; the tail does not wag the dog, after all, and this board is but a tiny piece of the Chicago Reader Media Empire. We could always do better, though. 🙂 your humble TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-away-for-awhile-did-the-subscription-thing-pan-out-are-we-rich-yet/316882/9 "2005-08-14T19:02:14Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > It’s not like we are expected to be a huge profit center for the Reader; the tail does not wag the dog, after all, and this board is but a tiny piece of the Chicago Reader Media Empire. I have it from good sources on the inside that this is disinformation. Apparently, with the membership revenues exceeding 2.4 billion dollars over the next five years, we buy a time machine in 2010, and at that point go back in time to start up/invest in a company called “Starbucks” back in '71. Tripler And that’s from a source I call “Deep Cup”. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-away-for-awhile-did-the-subscription-thing-pan-out-are-we-rich-yet/316882/10 "2005-08-14T22:11:49Z")
The above is simply scurrilous rumor-mongering, and the wild stories that the mods are now enjoying lives of sybaritic luxury with their every need attended to by fawning servant girls (or boys as the case may be) is pure slander. Hey, sweetie, could you run “scurrilous” and “sybaritic” through the spellchecker before you submit this post? Oh, yeah, a little lower–Oh that’s good. Right there. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-away-for-awhile-did-the-subscription-thing-pan-out-are-we-rich-yet/316882/11 "2005-08-14T23:32:53Z")
Astro! Welcome back! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-away-for-awhile-did-the-subscription-thing-pan-out-are-we-rich-yet/316882/12 "2005-08-14T23:35:44Z")
_Yes, we have had no bannings We have had no bannings, today_ > [@ltfire](#): > > …and my spell check just offered to change BANNINGS to BANANAS. > sheesh.