Fare Thee Well Cap Times

Ever since I found out about the Capital Times dropping from a six-days-a-week newspaper to a twice-weekly paper, I've been kinda bummed about the whole situation. If you're familiar with the Madison newspaper scene, it's not really a surprise (after all the paper had a circulation of 17,000), but it also is a surprise. After all, it's a member of Lee Enterprises and the Evjue Foundation and 50 percent owner of Capital Newspapers -- in all reality, it could've survived for a long, long time.

I know they're talking about making pathways into the brave new frontier of cyberspace, and for me, that's kind of nice. I like reading my news online. It's not the same as holding and touching a newspaper, but it's where most people I know are getting their news now. And with talk among newspapers about how to make the first steps onto the information superhighway, it's kind of nice to see one paper taking a major initiative.

But I also mourn the loss of another newspaper. I mourn the fact that even though you may not have agreed with the obvious slant in some of the Cap Times' articles (it had a reputation as a Commie pinko paper -- unapologetically, I think), lately it's been the big source of local news. If you want to know what's going on in the area, the Cap Times' coverage to me is superior to the Wisconsin State Journal, which seems to be going the way of USA Today. And I don't mean that as a compliment.

I mourn the loss of another paper and another competitor. I mourn that we've lost another voice in the community. I mourn the fact that some reporters will have to leave (and I wonder what will happen to some of the reporters I know and respect). I mourn the fact that the nationwide trend in newspapers hit here.

Maybe the Internet is the best place for the Cap Times. Maybe it'll survive there and live on. I don't know. I don't know if I can be as positive as Dave Zweifel, who told Isthmus' Bill Lueders:

"The bottom line for us is keeping the Cap Times alive," he says. "If we really wanted to save money, we'd do what virtually every other afternoon newspaper in America's competing markets have done and simply close up shop. We're not doing that by a long shot. We believe we can keep our voice alive for a long time to come by putting ourselves in a position to take advantage of the new technology that is revolutionizing the way people get their news and information."

But I hope he's right. And I'll see you guys online (armed with my morning cup of coffee). Good luck and keep us informed.