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today I learned that "the Santa Rosa Press Democrat" is still a thing in 2023 > As individual newspapers told readers they were dropping “Dilbert,” the company

today I learned that "the Santa Rosa Press Democrat" is still a thing in 2023 > As individual newspapers told readers they were dropping “Dilbert,” the company that distributed the strip, Andrews McMeel Universal, said it was severing ties with Adams what a weird atavism of an "industry"! even with that dude's fame he couldn't just sell his stuff directly and had to go through some middleman "company that distributed the strip to newspapers". (apparently he entered the kanye west mode, too bad) PS I think what he said and posted was wrong, but watching these extinct dinosaur people and organizations fighting and cancelling each other is kind of funny.

naikrovek 4y ago
that's how newspaper comic distribution works. it works that way for everyone, even for Bill Watterson when "Calvin and Hobbes" was at its height. Bill continually fought against what his distributors wanted, and fought for what he wanted. this is just how newspapers are. can you imagine what it would be like if each piece of non-local content in a newspaper was negotiated with each creator? one by one? every day? how many thousands of phone calls per day would need to happen for a single comic strip?
- twelve40 4y ago
  honestly maybe it's my ignorance but I'm really surprised all these newspapers like santa rosa even exist. How? subscriptions for physical newspapers? I haven't seen an actual physical newspaper in over a decade (except junk mail). Paid classifieds? it's all craigslist et al nowadays. Paid print ads? really? how is this stuff even around?
  - naikrovek 4y ago
    there are entire worlds that exist outside the sphere of what you see. not only are there still newspapers, there are still people riding bicycles delivering those papers every morning. maybe not where you are, or maybe you don’t see them, but they are far from gone. the world you know about is absolutely dwarfed by the world you don't know about.

naikrovek 4y ago

that's how newspaper comic distribution works. it works that way for everyone, even for Bill Watterson when "Calvin and Hobbes" was at its height. Bill continually fought against what his distributors wanted, and fought for what he wanted. this is just how newspapers are. can you imagine what it would be like if each piece of non-local content in a newspaper was negotiated with each creator? one by one? every day? how many thousands of phone calls per day would need to happen for a single comic strip?

twelve40 4y ago
honestly maybe it's my ignorance but I'm really surprised all these newspapers like santa rosa even exist. How? subscriptions for physical newspapers? I haven't seen an actual physical newspaper in over a decade (except junk mail). Paid classifieds? it's all craigslist et al nowadays. Paid print ads? really? how is this stuff even around?
- naikrovek 4y ago
  there are entire worlds that exist outside the sphere of what you see. not only are there still newspapers, there are still people riding bicycles delivering those papers every morning. maybe not where you are, or maybe you don’t see them, but they are far from gone. the world you know about is absolutely dwarfed by the world you don't know about.