[Congressman Billybob]

I understand that the circulation numbers for the NY Times are under investigation for being inflated. I've read that the discrepancy is counting papers distributed cheaply and in bulk to hotels and such are being counted as if they were individual, paid subscriptions.

So, the slight uptick in that paper's circulation may actually be as honest as the average column by Krugman, Rich, or Dowd. LOL.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column: "Reddy Finney, Joe Enge, and the US Constitution"

[Robert A Cook PE]

I understand that the circulation numbers for the NY Times are under investigation for being inflated. I've read that the discrepancy is counting papers distributed cheaply and in bulk to hotels and such are being counted as if they were individual, paid subscriptions.

USA Today included the tens of thousands of free "hotel" delivery copies in its total as well.

[Miss Marple]

You know, these figures would be down even more if people like me didn't subscribe to the Sunday editions. My husband and I take the Sunday paper in order to get the ad circulars, the coupons, and the list of upcoming events (festivals, movies, theater, concerts, etc.).

I bet you could make a tidy sum and decimate the papers by offering a cheap subscription of a package made up of obituaries, ad circulars, cultural listings, coupons, and sports. Maybe ad classified ads for an extra 25 cents.

I don't have the drive or the capital to do this, but someone in advertising should latch onto it. Our local paper is already charging for obituaries more than 2 paragraphs and for wedding and anniversary stories. You just know people have to be ticked off about this, and would welcome a place that would print those things for free. I bet you could charge people $1.00/month, charge advertisers for distribution of theier flyers, and make money.