Print Classifieds Losing Ground

Interesting report in Editor and Publisher about how eBay and Craigslist continue to nibble (or should I say chomp) away at print classified ads. "Craigslist seems less menacing," says the article. Really? Did they ask the Chronicle? Somehow I think the damage to print publications is a lot more widespread than publishers are letting on.

I love how print people, as we approach 2005, continue to be in denial about the online world. Newspapers need to decide: bug, or windshield?

And by the way, what's with the continuing shrinkage of newsprint? I know pulp's expensive, but geez. I picked up a Union-Tribune recently and couldn't believe how small the form factor's become.

The Gas Situation

Why San Diego has the most expensive gas in the country continues to puzzle me. Because we're at the very edge of the continent? Because we're the guinea pigs for the rest of the country (San Diego's often selected by Corporate America as a test market for new product rollouts . . . or pricing strategies)? Or is it so that other markets in the country can be cheaper?

Here's what I saw today at a gas station in La Jolla -- one I stopped going to years ago because they're so overpriced:

Here's a story from today's San Diego Union-Tribune on the gas situation.