what about this is so great?

really? how is this sooooo incredibly better than what I get for free NOW on the Internet — with a free web browser?

that I can shift the pages around and zoom in and out really neat? um, hate to break it to you, but that aint worth paying hundreds of dollars for.

and, the “video” that is shown at the beginning is kind of cool.. but, I can already watch the actual game itself LIVE in HD for free (on a larger screen)

so, aside from a few little do-dads (that are hardly worth hundreds of dollars) I dont see this taking off…

sorry

And, yes, of course I’d say the L.A. didn’t just cut its staff, it diminished its product. Most businesses can play the same game — cut expenses until revenues exceed them.

Also, Seattle and Denver aren’t the only cities with newspaper closures the past few years. But we’re getting way off point. How do you propose that daily newspaper websites improve revenue? The part of the game of aggregating eyeballs that pays off (national advertising and sponsorships) is beyond any single newspaper. The chain model is failing. I’m not saying newspaper sites won’t ever make money, but there’s no proven model — and you are not citing one, at least not a feasible one.

Yeah, you’ll say “it’s because they cut their staff.” Fine, but that wasn’t my original point. And the other point that I made, that as revenue gets bigger at newspaper website – as it should because they are the market leaders in CONSISTENT daily traffic for what they provide – then the overall stability of their enterprises will finally level off again.
And, lots of newspapers folded before the Internet. A couple have in the last year – Seattle and Denver. That’s a shame and I appreciate your concern for the overall industry. But there were other “problems” at the papers that folded than just lack of readership.
And, you didn’t make me mad at all. I just chuckle when I read all you doomsayers about the newspaper business. I would worry more about the surivability of fad blogs and websites like this one.