It gained a retweet from a respected former journalist, and was acknowledged by a current one as a column, "that beat them up." Another current one seems to hear the pain. Nothing personal, just a screed.
How I'd love to think that the tirade, along with no doubt others transmitted to the NYT, would have the effect of restoring the TV listings page. Time will tell, but it's not on "our" side. We'd need a reprieve from Governor Sulzberger.
Many, many years ago I once shamed the Paper of Record into restoring the entries, or the race results to the sports page. It didn't last long, and when they finally disappeared for good, I was resigned to their elimination.
We have to face it. The Children of the Times will effect their changes regardless of what the Old Guard says. There's beach erosion, and there's print erosion, and right now we're experiencing both. Overall, it's all climate change.
I'm not sure I've figured out a work around for what would have been a daily intake ("consuming") of TV listings. The paper has correctly pointed out that more people are at home working and binging on TV shows. Given that acknowledgment, they still whacked their TV listings. This "streaming" thing might be bigger than all of us.
I've expressed my worry to the obituary page editor Bill McDonald that if they whack the obits page like they've whacked the sport and TV listings, then they can count on one less grey-haired reader whose life will outlive their readership. Cancellation is always an option.
A way perhaps to revive the TV listing page could of course lead to advertising. What's wrong with that? Newspapers once upon a time were completely fueled by advertising. Probably what keeps the obits page going these days are the paid death notices, which can be quite lengthy, and therefore quite expensive and lucrative. The page is a profit center. Why not the same for the TV listings? There was never an ad on the what was the old TV page.
If the next health scare results in more paper work than just insurance claims and co-pays, then the offspring may be faced with the task of fulfilling one of my sarcastic wishes made several years ago.
Only half-kidding, I made it known I wanted to be buried with three newspapers. The Wall Street Journal over my brain; the Daily Racing Form over my heart, and the New York Times swaddling my rear end.
And my wife and I have raised the two daughters who just might do this. They feel my pain.
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