The Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, Express, and Guardian newspapers are due to increase their price by an astronomical one hundred percent or to two dollars. The increase is being blamed on the increase in the cost of everything, especially newsprint and journalist. This is the first price increase for the Newsday since 1993, and for the other two, since 1999, but the public doesn’t really care too much. This newspaper price increase wasn’t sudden and it all started some weeks ago with a little article in the Guardian about the price of newsprint. This blog was also way off in its newspaper price increase prediction.
I agree that everything in Trinidad and Tobago gone up and with sources of advertising revenues disappearing except for full page ads by Government institutions defending their incompetence, and banks and insurance companies declaring their stability and intelligence, the price of newspapers will have to go up. For a short time, like two years, people will be more selective in their choice in newspapers and it will be nasty out there come April 13th 2009. The headlines are going to have to be even more sensational, ridiculous, and misleading – the public can’t wait.
The newspaper industry was the first to realize people judge by covers and that not only applied to books, and other people, but also to newspapers. With the price increase, headlines will have to convince buyers there is substance and sensation within. Nobody wants to know what Patrick Manning drinks all day but everybody is interested in what Obama snacks on. We are captivated by Obama but upset and even nauseated by Manning. The newspapers will have to give the public what the public wants and the public doesn’t want nausea.
Of the three daily newspapers, the Newsday, the youngest Trinidad and Tobago newspaper, is the most intelligent followed by the Express. The Guardian, the oldest newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago, is desperately trying to sound as intelligent but has to settle for color photos for now. Even at two dollars, I would buy the Newsday and possibly the Express, but I will have to think three times before buying a Guardian. As the newspaper vendor said, The Guardian is what people buy when the rest sell out.
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10 responses so far ↓
Jumbie // April 8, 2009 at 1:18 pm |
LMAO….
I think you might be mistaken tho…. ppl (’specially the media) might want to know when Manning taking his next hair cut…
aka_lol // April 8, 2009 at 3:35 pm |
bandi // April 8, 2009 at 6:30 pm |
I was under the impression that the GoRTT subsidized newsprint/newspaper
wuzdescene // April 8, 2009 at 8:05 pm |
This was very disturbing tuh me ….. cuz is papers I does depend on ….. tuh find ting tuh crap on in Trini …… I have subscriptions tuh all (Newsday and Express EVERYDAY and de Guardian on weekends only) …… and when dat expire …… I doh know if I could renew ….. I cyah afford dat …… hmmmm ….. trouble fuh de scene?! …..
aka_lol // April 9, 2009 at 6:38 am |
Bandi, I thought so too but there was no mention of a subsidy in the Guardian’s report. Times may have changes with Globalization.
scene, I intend to make more use of the online newspapers but it would be no good for the crazy ads. If you don’t mind being a day or two late you can check selected garbage bags
KC // April 9, 2009 at 2:15 pm |
Scene, doh take on aka…I does buy all. Ah go pass dem on to you in the evening. Yuh cyar be out ah compliance fuh too long.
wuzdescene // April 10, 2009 at 9:12 pm |
good lookin out aka and KC ….. at least ah know ah have two backup plans:-) ….
aka_lol // April 11, 2009 at 2:28 pm |
I will be putting newspapers out in the see-tru bag to make life easier
Trinidadsdagay // April 19, 2009 at 10:34 am |
Whoa!
I thought the Guardian was for rich people, the Newsday was for poor people and the Express for everybody else?
Lol!
It’s just something I noticed.
I actually prefer the Express and it has been the most preferred paper in my family for years although we buy multiple papers (usually Express and Newsday).
In this case, the Express is read first and the unfortunate person with the Newsday has to wait their turn and then come sheepishly with tabloid in-hand hoping the Express reader is finished.
However, people have been known to dump the Newsday halfway in when offered an Express.
Well, the poor Guardian. Besides being rife with spelling and grammatical errors (not to mention omission of important facts) it can’t catch a break it seems.
We even bought the Independent (remember that?) before we got to buying the Guardian.
aka_lol // April 19, 2009 at 1:24 pm |
In Curepe, the Express sells out first but in Pt. Lisas it’s always the Newsday. It’s been like that for years. I think the Guardian became sloppy with its sometimeish delivery – which has improved – and its so-so columnist. Things are slightly better with the Guardian now but not enough to win the circulation war.