E-Media Tidbits

I've been thinking about my personal budget lately. After adding yet another "I have to have that" subscription service -- Sirius satellite radio at $12.99 a month -- I'm beginning to see all these little media conveniences add up to something substantial.

All the wonderful new services available (for a fee) in our Internet- and technology-driven world are tempting, and many increasingly "necessary" (and no, I don't have all of these): mobile-phone accounts for multiple family members; cell-phone mapping service; phone voicemail; Internet IP long-distance service; cable TV account; premium cable channels (HBO, et al); TiVo subscription; car DVD-navigation system subscription; fax service; DVD subscription (Netflix, et al); digital-music subscription; and a dozen other digital-media services that I'm overlooking.

While all of us buy into these things by balancing our respective desires and personal budgets, many are tempting enough to figure out how to pay for if money is an issue. And one way to pay for these digital goodies on a budget is to cut back on something else. One possible cut: the subscription to the local newspaper.

I'm not ready to do that yet, but I suspect that in the years ahead a growing number of people will be. After all, in most cities these days you can get much of the newspaper on the Web for free, if you're willing to part with the "classic" experience of thumbing through the morning paper.

Also, as pointed out in Steven Pearlstein's Washington Post column today, general-interest news is clearly headed toward the days of free -- whether online or in print. He points out how newspaper companies, like his own, are clamoring to offer free newspapers (tabloids, typically) to you as you enter the subway, or deliver them to your doorstep. What you'll pay for will be personalized, in-depth information feeds to serve your niche interests.

Newspapers have a rough road ahead. Not only must they deal with the well-documented attack on their classifieds revenues, but now it's looking like the subscription revenue stream is in danger.