New York Post gets down in the dumps (circulation scam)

[NorthernSun]

Tens of thousands of New York Posts were dumped at two recycling centers yesterday morning, just hours after being printed, in a bizarre circulation ploy that has already come to the attention of newspaper circulation authorities.

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/404667p-342585c.html

[Imagine My Surprise]

1. How appropos

[AndyTiedye]

2. The Post Can Kiss Their Advertisers "Good-Bye"

The Post is defrauding their advertisers, trying to swindle
them into continuing to advertise in a paper that they can't
even give away anymore.

[JohnnyJ]

3. From what I read.....

traditional newspapers around the country are struggling to maintain market share to internet publications who are trouncing their collective ass.

Kind of sad actually. I still have an affinity for the old style.

[fryguy]

4. Worst paper. Ever.

They've called my house several times in the past few months offering a free introductory subscription. Politely I tell them I already get the paper delivered. The Post, they ask. No, I say, I think that is a miserable tabloid. Then hang up.

[ovidsen]

5. The Post will survive

It's not the first paper hit with questions about circulation.

Similar charges didn't sink Newsday, the Chicago Sun-Times or the Dallas Morning News.

Of course, since the New York Post loses money by the truckload, it's survival depends on just how deep Rupert Murdoch's pockets are.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

12. but the suntimes has great local coverage, sudoko, NYT crossword and

patternless crossword. Seriously they kick ass over Chicago tribune on breaking some local stories.

[ovidsen]

20. I'm a Sun Times fan

I think the Trib still beats them in circulation, though. And remember, it IS the home paper of Robert Novak.

And for a time in the 1980s, Murdoch OWNED the Sun-Times!

When he bought the paper, Mike Royko quit in disgust.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

21. I clearly remember that. What did he call murdoch, the Rodent?

Royko, for those who never experienced him, was Chicago's gift to curmudgeonland. He was superb at skewering local pols (both sides of the corrupt aisle) and even better at taking aim at the pompous and arrogant. He was the common man's voice, the Slats Grobnick of the news.
Royko concocted the term Cheeseheads for Wisconsinites and StumpJumpers for our neighbor to the east, Indiana.

[ovidsen]

22. Royko's favorite name for Murdoch was "the alien"

His books are great, especially "Boss". For those unaware of Mike's talents, read this please:

http://www.slate.com/id/23389/

So why don't we have newspaper columnists as good as him anymore? To summarize: We no longer have his kind of newspaper. We no longer have his kind of city. But mainly, we don't have another Mike Royko--a newspaper writer grounded in a place like Chicago, with a gift for explaining it to the world, and the world to it.

On a personal note, during the 1992 Democratic convention in New York, Royko wrote about how impressed he was by the speech from former California Governor Jerry Brown, who was giving Bill Clinton a serious run for the nomination.

I sent Royko an email, asking him if he wasn't the one who gave Brown the "Governor Moonbeam" nickname in the early 1980s, and what had caused him to change his mind about Brown?

Damned if he didn't write back! He said he regretted the Moonbeam label, but reserved the right to change his mind. He also reserved the right to coin nicknames. It was pretty funny.

He closed with a line I'll never forget...

"Take it easy, but take it"

[gratuitous]

15. Murdoch's fine with losses from the Post

It gives him something he values very highly: A newspaper presence and voice in New York City. He's grafting plenty of money from other sources, any losses from the Post just reduce his taxable income.

Think of it as another disadvantage to playing by the rules. If you're not on the corruption gravy train, you can't afford to lose millions just to run a tabloid newspaper.

[ldf]

17. the post's survival depends on

just how much murdoch hates the clintons and all things democrat(ic).

he is willing to pay big bucks to print slanderous spin.

but, hey, he now owns faux. so it was well worth the money.

afterall, fox helped to annoint king w, along with jack welch of nbc, in 2000.

POWER is money.

:grr:

[ovidsen]

19. Murdoch's a weird duck

His News, Inc. owns the Times of London. The very same Times of London that broke the "Downing Street Minutes". And some Fox anchors, like Shepard Smith, do get critical of Bush. Sometimes.

Murdoch is driven by politics. Image, too But he's driven the most by money. If he thought a newspaper devoted to LIHOP and MIHOP theories would pull in the green, he'd print them.

[BlueManDude]

6. it's like those phony "bulk orders" for right wing books.

regnery specializes in 'em.

[hadrons]

7. the people who do buy it, buy it because its the cheapest "news" paper

in the city

[mumon]

8. these clowns regularly bash Air America radio

but the NY Post has NEVER made money.

[snowbear]

9. OMG, that is too much !!!!

Funny as hell that the story got out though!

[chromotone]

10. Well, this statement is encouraging...!!!

Tens of thousands of New York Posts were dumped at two recycling centers

At least they didn't go in the landfill!

[rooboy]

11. Murdoch's papers were caught falsifying numbers in Australia last year. nt

[snowbear]

14. And I'll bet ANYTHING that the Faux News poll numbers are....

... as high as they are, because they too are BOUGHT and paid for.

[autorank]

13. Why am I not surprised. It's the Murdoch House of Cards.

I've always half wondered of Murdoch's numbers were way off, cooked, so to speak.

He seems streched thin and always entering some low margin business.

Would it surprise anyone if his "financial empire" were just a House of Cards?

Anybody know enough about his finances to say?

[PBass]

16. Their paper isn't worthy enough to even line a catbox with. (eom)

[occuserpens]

18. Debbie Schlussel writes for them

So I am not surprised
http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archives/2006/03/important_updat.html