An Open Letter To The Post: Just Trying To Help

Dear Lee People,

We in St. Louis know that you made a horrendous mistake buying our humble Post Dispatch from the Pulitzers. We know that they were smarter then you and sold out at the top of the market. Conversely you borrowed butt loads of money that you have to pay interest on and bought at the very highest price possible. You did this despite the fact that everyone knew that papers had a limited future but you were hypnotized because in a booming (BOOMING) economy the paper had great add revenue and even with no future had awesome short term profitability. That short term ended about two hours after your sale closed. You paid 13.5 times the highest earnings Pulitzer ever had...BRILLIANT!

So you have been slowly cannibalizing our little paper and every other one you own. Cutting staff and cutting the actual size of the paper and cutting... off the papers metaphorical nose to spite it’s metaphorical face. Based on my walk out to the lawn today, to get the paper (and delivery now happens in a range between 6 and 7:30 in the morning) I came up with one small suggestion.

STOP PUBLISHING THE TUESDAY POST DISPATCH!
It is useless.
It is small!
It offends me!
It has no content.
NO ONE ADVERTISES IN IT!

For God sakes just stop it. Cut your weekly delivery costs by 13%. We will keep paying for 7 days. Those of us who get the Post at this point are doing it out of loyalty and habit. We will not expect a discount. We will all consider it a favor. We can read cereal boxes, menus, our kids homework, old Highlights magazines, old birthday cards from our parents... anything. I mean if I knew I was not going to get the paper I would not have to waste my time and could watch my TiVo of the “The View” from the day before and catch up.

What is the down side? There isn't one. Cut your costs and make subscribers happy. STOP THE MADNESS! I beg you.