Every print publisher has a business model, and dedicated, professional commercial staff. It’s just a declining industry where some models (and staff) are better than others – so please rein in the polemic, will you?

“They have no customers” – bullcrap. Have you seen how many millions of people buy a daily newspaper? I bet you still have some papers around your house, right? And when was the last time you got on a train and were given a free tablet? They DO have customers.

“…their product sucks” – wtf? Having an opinion is one thing, but to wrap up all global print journalism into one dismissive phrase is just laziness and petulance. How old are you? My 13-year-old gives more reasoned arguments than this.

Sustainable business model? The Times has been charging for its online content for about a year. It bottomed out early on (competing with world-renowned free content) but it’s now growing. And they tied all of the promotions to iPad releases giving Apple’s product equal editorial and advertising space. Not exactly high-integrity journalism, but that’s exactly the kind of print + digital business model you’re saying doesn’t exist.

Print will never die.

And you’re a pissant.

Pay 150 and you get the cheapest kindle, or clone, and unlimited access to whatever Time prints. Tribune could do the same. You get the idea.

Some brands could technically do it on their own, say the Economist (and their Intelligent Life side mag).

And by the way, assuming you don’t try to BS anybody, you will be saving in printing, paper, distro, etc.

We are at a point when it’s not even a matter of churning out good journalism profitably vs the beancounters. It’s that the beancounters won but they blow at running the thing efficiently once that they’re in control; add to that scores of braindead marketing departments.