The Day The Newspapers Shut Down Their Sites

I have no idea how true this is, but I just heard this morning that Hearst is among those newspaper ownership groups considering an online blackout, meaning they'll shut their sites down for two weeks in order to shock readers, bloggers, radio, et al into realizing how important newspapers are.

My friend works for a newspaper chain and his managing editor, who happens to be his good friend from way back, went to a sales/marketing conference designed to address shrinking revenue of newspapers. The keynote speaker was some big-time consultant recently hired by Hearst.

After the speeches were done, there was some mingling and my buddy's editor stopped the keynote speaker and chatted him up.

He asked "why don't newspapers just shut down their sites, even for a week?"

The consultant said "it's already in the works and it's going to happen sooner than you think."

The consultant went on to say the NY Times is a big backer of this plan.

So, we shall see.

My buddy had no reason to not believe his editor. I have no reason not to believe my buddy.

 

They can send the revenue they give up for the day over to my paper.

 

How is Poin going to find his teachers?

 

Which papers are Hearst papers?

 

Link?

Oh, never mind.

 

Did I spell that wrong? I don't know all the huge conglomerates.

 

Now that's funny. Well played.

 

SF Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News, Houston Chronicle are the ones that immediately come to mind.

 

A great idea.

Seriously, at this point, what is there to lose?

 

That's a variation of my copy editor-less weekend proposal to show the dim-fucking-wits what sort of shit would end up in the product without filtration.

 

Oh, no. I was honestly asking.

 

Look at your website and see how many stories could be found at other websites.

The Podunk High gamer?

The School Board?

The local lady quilts something nice about the troops?

And it is all given away for free.