The demise of printed TV listings continues, as the Los Angeles Times told subscribers over the weekend that it would no longer offer its TV Times magazine along with the Sunday paper.
Instead, subscribers were told to call a number or fill out a postcard if they still wanted to receive it -- now on Saturdays. (Sunday-only subscribers were given the option of subscribing to the Friday/Saturday/Sunday service at no additional charge. Damn, anything to up those circ numbers, huh?!)
It's another end of an era. Just as TV Guide scrapped its listings-heavy book last year in favor of a more celeb-driven magazine (with a few listings in the back), newspapers across the country are cutting back on their TV listings insert, or doing away with them entirely.
On one level, I understand their point. TV viewers now rely on their on-screen program guides to figure out what's on. And full listings are available on the internet. Plus, papers like the L.A. Times had already cut back on their TV listings mags so much, that it's almost pointless to offer it at all.
Still, it's sad to see one more unique feature disappear from the newspaper. And I especially think the industry missed the opportunity to capitalize on those orphaned TV Guide readers who still wanted a printed listings guide they could read in front of the TV (or, ahem, in the restroom).
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