# Do you still subscribe to print magazines/newspapers?



## canabiz (Apr 4, 2009)

I have subscribed to the following 3 magazines: Maclean's, Canadian Business and Moneysense through the Rogers Readers Advantage program for a number of years. It currently costs me $7.50 a month so I consider it a *cheap* hobby.

Lately, I find myself struggling to find the time required to read these magazines. I am doing more exercise (see my other thread about running shoes) and I could barely finish an article or 2 before turning off the light and call it a night...I also gravitate more towards online news. An example is I followed the Luka Magnotta with great interest as that was simply unprecedented in Canadian History, i just knew that story would be the feature one in the next Maclean's issue and I skipped that altogether as I have pretty much read all I can online.

I used to subscribe to the National Geographic magazines as well but stopped that about 2 years ago. Great stories and photographs but I could probably borrow them from the library if I want to. Save some money and avoid cluttering the place with stacks of mags that I am unlikely to read again.

So do you guys still subscribe to print magazines/newspapers/industry newsletters etc? Do you find that still presents good value for your time and money or are you reading more news online (on your PC or mobile devices) to stay up-to-date?


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Multiple industry magazines and newspapers which I receive at my office and read as part of my job. I also have paid subscriptions to various industry newspapers (WSJ, NYT, soon to be Globe and Mail, I guess). 

Multiple design magazines (i.e., Elle Decor) which I read (that is, flip through) for relaxation...I hit the screen limit at a certain point and I just can't look at screens anymore, but like to look at food and design pictures.

Sunday NYTimes. Read this for relaxation and also for work. 

I guess how it shakes down for me is: work subs are on-screen, relaxation subs are paper-based (but there is precious little actual reading involved). I'm not interested in the digital versions of any of my relaxation "reading." I don't own an e-reader and can't imagine getting one, because I honestly do not read for relaxation, truthfully.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

I use both. I find hard copy is useful for in-depth articles requiring some thought. For news, online only: Kobo, Samsung e-reader and Notebook. I will also scan Metro when taking the bus. It has gotten really good lately.


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## crazyjackcsa (Aug 8, 2010)

Currently I don't, but I do plan on subscribing to the local paper when my kids start reading. It's the cheapest way to get children reading (comics, movie reviews, sports) and the easiest way to keep multiple people up to date on local happenings. 

I'd probably subscribe now, but I work in news and stay up to date as part of my job.


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## spirit (May 9, 2009)

We still get the local paper because I have time to read with my husband before I go to work in the afternoon. We enjoy our morning coffee and hanging out in the living room for a while before getting on with our day. However I find myself going more and more online to get the "quick" news or to follow a story in multiple news outlets. I like Time and Huffington post online but get emails daily from personal interest forums to keep me up to date on interests of mine. kijiji for local bargain hunting. Found my husband's, my son's and my own car on kijiji the past year. I do a lot of research into purchasing on line and I think my personal reading will eventually wind up on line. But coffee and local paper with my husband in the morning is a constant.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

Absolutely. I get at least three printed subscriptions this way. They are good bathroom reading material and I certainly don't feel the need to move everything I read to a screen format. I am far more likely to spend my money subscribing to a printed (tangible) publication that a virtual one. If they force me to switch then most of them will probably lose me as a customer.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

During my 20s and 30s I subscribed to a lot of magazines (including the New Yorker, which comes out every week), and it eventually drove me crazy because I couldn't keep up with them all. I cancelled everything except for my subscription to Granta, which I've been subscribing to since the early 1990s. It comes out four times a year, and by the time I've finished reading one issue the next one arrives.


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## Four Pillars (Apr 5, 2009)

The only subscription I have is Moneysense. If the G&M moves to a pay platform, then I will probably subscribe.


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## Spidey (May 11, 2009)

I get the Ottawa Citizen newspaper, MoneySensene magazine and MoneySaver magazine. Thinking about not renewing MoneySaver, depending on which direction the new ownership takes.


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## colossk (May 11, 2011)

I have about 4-5 subscriptions to various magazines/newspapers. However I work online on my computer for about 40 hours a week and the last thing I want to do when I'm done working is sit in front of a computer again to "read"


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## mrbizi (Dec 19, 2009)

I subscribe to Globe&Mail tablet edition for $15/month. I used to just read their website but I've found many of the articles aren't available online. I find it a lot more convenient than reading off paper.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

I subscribe to the Economist. I get my more day-to-day news from google news and snippets of TV and blogs. I like the Economist for longer form journalism and interesting topics that I don't already know about (I hate reading articles where I get to the end without reading a single novel thing). The twist is that the Economist is actually a fair bit of content, something like 100 pages a week. I use their audio service. You can download each issue, read word-for-word in MP3 format. I slap it on an MP3 player and listen to it while cleaning, exercising or driving to work--essentially the boring tasks in life that are made bearable by having some mental stimulation. It usually works out to about 6 hours of content a week. I also sometimes use it at work if I am doing something that does not require much concentration--helps to stave off boredom.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

I stopped buying subscriptions and newspaper for a few reason. I found the recycle amount was huge, and I could easily read someone's paper at work or at my friends and families place. I don't have a lot of time and my other reading piles p too. I usually find all my information on the internet anyways.


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## NorthernRaven (Aug 4, 2010)

I don't have a tablet or smartphone, but I do pretty much all my news and periodical reading online. I tend to read a lot, and quickly, and prefer good quality writing, and I can get a lot free online, My main news source is the New York Times, supplemented by The Guardian, the G&M and the L.A. Times. In depth stuff comes from the Economist and the commentary/analysis sections of the Financial Times. For non-news there's usually interesting stuff at The Atlantic, New Yorker, Vanity Fair and New York Review of Books sites, among others.

I don't currently have any subscriptions, but most of the above content is available with simple cookie blocking/clearing, Google click-through and whatnot. If the NY Times ever puts in a serious paywall I might have to break down, but $195/year is quite hefty and hopefully things will go on as they are for awhile. 

The paper magazine I'd be most likely to subscribe to would probably be Scientific American. Not too expensive, lots of content and behind a paywall online. Although I'm at the library often and could read it there, I never seem to get around to it.


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## financialnoob (Feb 26, 2011)

the-royal-mail said:


> Absolutely. I get at least three printed subscriptions this way. They are good bathroom reading material and I certainly don't feel the need to move everything I read to a screen format. I am far more likely to spend my money subscribing to a printed (tangible) publication that a virtual one. If they force me to switch then most of them will probably lose me as a customer.


Same here. It is a bit sad (and maybe a bit disturbing, or perhaps too much information) that I do more print reading in the bathroom than anywhere else.

Then again, after reading Jan Wong's crap in Toronto Life lately, I can't think of a better place to read it...


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## GreenAvenue (Dec 28, 2011)

I read most articles online, I have a paid subscription with WSJ and MoneySense. Also, I receive a weekly magazine named Donald Duck from The Netherlands once a month, for the rest (Globe and Mail, Telegraph Journal etc) I buy a Tim's and sit my Saturday morning's reading them at the library.


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