The Register-Guard informed us recently that the monthly print subscription price is going up from $20-plus per month to $45 per month.

Since the new owners took over (somebody called Gannett, I think), the quality of the RG editing, layout and delivery service has plummeted. The first obvious sign of trouble occurred months ago when many pages and even whole sections disappeared one by one. The RG now looks more like a leaflet or a circular than a newspaper.

Entire chunks of text disappear without a trace, leaving readers wondering how the story turned out. The paper that used to be delivered before most people left for work, now, by RG’s own specification, does not need to be delivered before 10:30 am. We have had to fish the paper out from under our car once or twice. The paper, though, in fairness, wrapped in plastic, sometimes lands on the lawn and soaks through, requiring the use of a hair dryer before reading. We never had problems like this under the previous management.

Given all this, along with the eye-popping price increase, it seems plausible to me that EW has a business opportunity coming its way in the near future. Some pretty good writers will be looking for work, and a lot of readers may be receptive to a new local paper to fill the vacuum left by a defunct RG.

Spencer Doidge

Eugene