Sunday Morning Experiment

The latest Sunday Morning Experiment—writ 4.5"x 5" and circ. 1,000—stems from an otherwise overlooked issue in the local newspaper: the disappearance of the daily newspaper.

This summer saw the Herald's final Sunday edition in addition to about 30 of its staff cut, many of them solid, long-serving professional journalists.

This is not a tirade it is a lament. There are good editors and reporters at all of Calgary's newspapers. But, from newspaper carriers to newspapers publishers, there is a certain economic framework to which Herald publisher Guy Huntingford makes reference in his editorial regarding the last Sunday edition and in which everyone involved with the newspaper must act accordingly. This reality is a product of unwieldy media models with the inability to do little else than cut back.

This experiment, the Sunday Morning Experiment, is a case in point. The Herald, with some creativity and corporate leeway, might have done something other than axe its Sunday paper—the perfect day to read the paper in this editor's opinion. It might have miniaturized for a day, cut the size of its paper rather than its staff of distribution. It may have made a compelling case to its readers. Or changed its content or design or hell, go black and white for a day and make a point. It is the self-effacing, light-hearted character that's missing from the pages of the local daily newspaper these days. Also gone are satire, wit and reflection. The paper is losing a very important reader-writer connection. Imagine if the 'newspaper' was a person; it would be a boring jabber mouth who could only talk of other peoples' problems. This then, is a tiny experiment: a newspaper the way it could be.

But. Let's face it. Probably won't.

Enjoy!

Peter


The Sunday XPublisher, editor-in-chief and delivery boy

Oh, one last thing. 

In the spirit of shaking up the newspaper, I give you: micro-distribution.

Simply print the bottom two pages double-sided, fold, cut and Bob's your uncle. Print one copy for yourself or 10 for a morning business meeting or 100 for your store, pub or coffeeshop...you get the idea. If you print 100 or more, email me. You can have a special spot in the next Experiment or what's in the box. (What's in the box!...What's in the box!...)

Until then, you can follow the zaniness and semi-occasional nonsense of this and other experiments on Twitter and Facebook or send an old fashioned email.

'Til next time.

Add caption

Now for some micro-distribution: