>SNIP
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>>I do believe paper newspapers will go away. Completely. Gone, fini, kaput. The information will still be there but it will be in electronic form, not hand delivered on paper. If you watch the New York Times at all -- which I mention only in passing was the ONLY major U.S. newspaper with a circulation gain last year, and that was from the national edition -- you will see that they have been shifting to the binary era for at least the last three years. It's happening whether you like it or not.
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>I've heard/read that newspapers' main problem nowadays is loss of advertising revenue, attributed mostly to internet-related factors like "Craig's list", the Google advertising model and the like. And it is a SERIOUS PROBLEM for them.
>These are things that an individual can do little about in terms of demonstrating support for the medium. Apparently our quarters/dollars are a small consideration in the profitability of newspapers. And I can say categorically that I wouldn't pay much more than I do now to let them replace advertising revenue with copy price sales.
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>When they do go away I can't see an "electronic newspaper" working out. All it will really have going for it by that time is its name. And if they don't exist already, I can see services that gather the news for you from across the universe and order/display it to your taste, with/without advertising. With sources specified (especially eliminations) by the individual too.
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>All of which, which is just as sad, leaves yet another opportunity for off-shoring of "news delivery". At least with newspapers printing had to be done locally, along with distribution.

I think this is all a good thing. First of all, papers need so much advertising revenue that more than half their bulk is adverts now. So we pay to cut down MORE trees, to keep the papers in biz, so they can cut down even more. A vicious downward spiral Personally I can't wait for their demise. Like you say, who actually needs them (other than for, as Tamar says, the "feel" of a wad of crisp paper in the hands at the breakfast table or on the bus/train), with all the other media that are around today (which were not when a paper was essential). Take this "experience" away from a generation and what they've never had they won't miss.

They can still get advertising revenue by downloading advert pages to your "daily tablet" (of whatever form) for which you subscribe.