OT: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ceasing weekday print edition

So our statewide newspaper is ceasing weekday paper delivery, continuing only the weekend edition. The subscription rate is identical for an online subscription ($34/month, $403/yr), and the owner's big plan is give everyone a free iPad to access the new paper. This seems steep to me, but I didn't know the Raleigh newspaper is $100/month, or $70/mo for the Dallas Morning News until I read this story about it. It has given out 10,000 iPads so far, and has budgeted $2 million to host trainings and make home visits to assist technology-inept readers with the transition ( ).

I don't read this paper (never really have) since for as long as I have known it, it was mostly reprints of national stories from larger papers and one or two Arkansas stories. I read a paper copy of the Wall Street Journal cover to cover almost every morning, but it actually gives me news I can't find anywhere else.

It seems like the death of print advertising is the main culprit. But their lack of interesting stories seems to have cut into the circulation a fair bit too in my conversations with others. Lord knows there is enough corrupt shite happening in Little Rock to fill pages upon pages.

I must say, for a more tech-focused delivery method, the website is hopelessly out of date. It's like they don't know there are any online webpage amenities besides a fancy paywall. It looks like a webpage from 1999, and the search is useless.

I don't know anything about the owner, but he seems like a know-it-all prick who got caught with his pants down draining the profitable business until now it's too late to reinvest and he is cutting costs and flailing wildly. Seems like he has missed the past few tricks and probably isn't right here either. I definitely get the feeling it would be better under someone else's stewardship. Sadly, he owns the rest of the in-state papers.

Thoughts?