# USA Today feels sickly, commits suicide **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 9, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786 "2013-10-09T16:55:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/1 "2013-10-09T16:55:18Z")
Or so it would seem. It’s been about a week now since the paper doubled its newsstand price to $2. At the time, a USA Today press release said: “We anticipate this price increase will bring a minimal drop in print sales, as we continue to evolve how we distribute USA TODAY.” By “evolving” they apparently mean eliminating vending machines, in the hope that people anxious to buy a $2 newspaper will rush to one of the retail outlets they allege are expanding, wherever those are supposed to be. The machines at my workplace are empty (they were removed altogether from another hospital where I sometimes rotate), and it’s doubtful they will be replaced or retrofitted. Who’s going to carry 8 quarters to stuff into the machine - or do they expect us to, um, securely pay via credit card?). “Minimal drop in print sales” my ass. I was in the habit of buying a USA Today almost daily from one of the machines at work (I know the news section is pretty crappy, but they have a good sports section, occasionally decent op-ed articles and the statewide news roundup can be entertaining). What I am _not_ going to do is drive out of my way several miles to a supermarket or wherever else it’s selling, for the privilege of getting an incredibly overpriced skinny newspaper. And seeing that a lot of USA Today sales are at airports, are more people going to forgo the convenience of vending machines to stand on line at retail outlets for a $2 paper? It would be different if the content was so fabulous that I was tempted to become a regular online reader. But if I have to go online to read sports on a small screen, I’m going to a dedicated sports site. Goodbye, USA Today (with the possible exception of occasional weekend edition purchases). You were half-decent while it lasted. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/2 "2013-10-09T17:03:54Z")
People pay to read USA Today? I thought their sole readership were people stuck in hotels where they were stuck outside the door for free everyday. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/3 "2013-10-09T17:34:15Z")
They also hand me a copy whenever I get my oil changed. ---
**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/4 "2013-10-09T17:41:36Z")
It’s not dead yet, [it will still be around in 2015](http://www.ketzer.com/backtothefuture/bttf2_USAgang.html). (And apparently Lady Diana will be resurrected, kill Camilla and the Queen, and re-marry Charles) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/5 "2013-10-09T17:48:37Z")
That full-color printing must be costing them a mint. They should consider going monochrome. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/6 "2013-10-09T17:54:10Z")
I thought, from the thread title, that this was going to be about the country, the USA, not the newspaper. 😛 It does seem to reflect what is going on. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/7 "2013-10-09T18:15:58Z")
> [@Kiyoshi](#): > > It’s not dead yet, [it will still be around in 2015](http://www.ketzer.com/backtothefuture/bttf2_USAgang.html). (And apparently Lady Diana will be resurrected, kill Camilla and the Queen, and re-marry Charles) So $2 is a real bargain - BTTF thought it should be costing $6 in a couple of years’ time. Mind you, they don’t have the additional cost of the Compu-Fax Satellite to keep up. Edit: I see there’s a story about the iPhone 5S on there too. (First item under “Newsline” 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/8 "2013-10-09T18:42:34Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > People pay to read USA Today? I thought their sole readership were people stuck in hotels where they were stuck outside the door for free everyday. QFT. I also agree with the person that suggested they go monochrome. The color adds nothing to my enjoyment of bite-sized news and crossword puzzles. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/9 "2013-10-09T19:35:28Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > People pay to read USA Today? I thought their sole readership were people stuck in hotels where they were stuck outside the door for free everyday. Actually, I use it to wedge the bathroom door open so it doesn’t automatically close. > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > That full-color printing must be costing them a mint. They should consider going monochrome. And hetography. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/10 "2013-10-09T20:39:05Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > And hetography. Neither Google, Wikipedia, nor M-W seem to know what that word is. Please illuminate me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/11 "2013-10-09T21:15:28Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Neither Google, Wikipedia, nor M-W seem to know what that word is. Please illuminate me. 🙂 I’m guessing typo for photography although there is a hetography site on tumblr. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/12 "2013-10-10T01:51:09Z")
Ditto on only seeing it when I get a hotel room. Funny thing is, when I’m traveling I always want to read the local paper. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/13 "2013-10-10T02:13:32Z")
Horrible paper, they give all those copies away to pump their circ. #'s for advertisers, who care to be suckered in. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/14 "2013-10-10T04:38:00Z")
My husband likes the sports and crossword puzzle, but refuses to pay $2 for it. I looked at subscribing to it, but the web site tells me there is no carrier delivery where I live (although our friend two blocks away gets his delivered) and have offered mail delivery. I tried mail delivery with a special rate last year and found that at least one or two papers a week didn’t come to the house the next day. So a typical week would be paper Monday, none Tuesday, none Wednesday, three Thursday, and so on. Not exactly what I want in a newspaprt. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/15 "2013-10-10T05:12:42Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > My husband likes the sports and crossword puzzle, but refuses to pay $2 for it. I looked at subscribing to it, but the web site tells me there is no carrier delivery where I live (although our friend two blocks away gets his delivered) and have offered mail delivery. > > I tried mail delivery with a special rate last year and found that at least one or two papers a week didn’t come to the house the next day. So a typical week would be paper Monday, none Tuesday, none Wednesday, three Thursday, and so on. Not exactly what I want in a newspaprt. So maybe you can pay your friend two blocks away to order a second subscription (or you can have a second subscription delivered to their house with their permission) and you can pick it up there? ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/16 "2013-10-10T06:30:03Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Neither Google, Wikipedia, nor M-W seem to know what that word is. Please illuminate me. 🙂 > [@PlainJain](#): > > I’m guessing typo for photography although there is a hetography site on tumblr. It’s got to be a typo for [hectography](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hectograph), an obsolete printing process. The joke being if they are going to go back to single color ink like the newspapers from 100 years ago, they might as well use an old timey printing process, too. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/17 "2013-10-10T08:24:00Z")
There was nothing wrong with the logo they had been using since 1982, but they had to go and ugly it up anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/18 "2013-10-10T12:35:33Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > So maybe you can pay your friend two blocks away to order a second subscription (or you can have a second subscription delivered to their house with their permission) and you can pick it up there? I never thought of that. Thanks for the idea! ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/19 "2013-10-10T16:30:18Z")
Most of the McDonalds around here sell USA Today at the counter. But I’ve never seen anyone actually buy one. And I’m sure as heck not going to make a special trip to Mickey D’s for it. Anybody want to start placing bets on when they’ll fold? ---
**Author:** ![Esco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9de053/32.png) [@Esco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esco)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-today-feels-sickly-commits-suicide/670786/20 "2013-10-10T17:08:13Z")
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