A year after the L.A. Times axed its "TV Times" listings book, the newspaper still hears from between 15 and 20 readers a week, demanding that the paper reintroduce it.
According to the paper, that's an unusual amount -- but they're not about to change their mind:
Editors emphasize that the decision to stop printing TV Times wasn't easy.
Readership surveys showed fewer readers than ever were using TV Times; many people now get their TV listings through their satellite and cable systems, or online offerings like the ones The Times offers, where the grids can be personalized to their lineup. And financial realities had management looking for ways to continue serving readers while cutting newsprint.
A final note from entertainment editor Betsy Sharkey, who oversees film, TV and pop music: Editors continue to look at ways to expand the TV offerings based on reader concerns, and readers may well see changes in the coming weeks and months.
I suppose I get it... but at the same time, I still think it could be a sales tool -- and many papers in the 1990s agreed, introducing gussied-up TV magazines. Even the LAT printed many zoned editions geared toward local cable outfits.
These days, with TV Guide out of the local printed listings business, there's a void that could be filled. But maybe I'm just old-fashioned.
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