Your headline writer is running out of ideas, just as fast as the UT is losing subscribers. Just look at the previous story titles. Both are sad situations. Hopefully, for their sake, the headline writer isn’t as moribund as the UT.

JustWondering: I can't blame a headline writer. I definitely wrote the top headline on today's item and wrote some of the other headlines, too. So I should get most of the blame. Best, Don Bauder

MY MAGNIFYING GLASS FAILED ME, AND BOOSTED THE U-T'S RESULTS. It was very difficult reading the U-T's statement to the post office today. Thus, I made an error which was in the U-T's favor. The average Sunday circulation for 2017 is actually 160,154, rather than 180,154, as I stated in the original above. Best, Don Bauder

JustWondering: I doubt the U-T or many other papers would quickly correct an error that made them look better than the actual figures did. Best, Don Bauder

The problem with newspapers is that in the digital age you get yesterdays news today.

This continuing precipitous drop in circulation of the rag means it is steadily less relevant in the county. When I was buying ad circulation, if a paper didn't deliver close to half of the households in its market, it was looked at as weak. Some cities had papers that reached as high as 80% of households. Sunday coverage of only 160K is pathetic, meaning that out of a population of 3.3 million folks, only a small minority of them ever see a copy.

The circulation is so low that tronc could on any day announce that it is just going to stop the print version, and go fully on-line. I don't expect that soon, but how many of us, say ten years ago, would have predicted this rapid decline in newspaper circulation? I sure didn't see it coming so fast.

In the case of the U-T, all the changes of ownership and the changes in direction that go along with that have weakened it. From month to month you can't rely on anything staying the same in the product that lands in your driveway. Some time back it claimed that at least a million readers saw a copy at least once a week. That was nothing much to brag about, and now they don't even claim that.

Visduh: You are right. Years before the internet, I made myself very unpopular with the paper's top management by pointing out that the market share compared poorly with that of other metro dailies. Now the U-T reaches a small percentage of households in the county. Best, Don Bauder

JustWondering: They may have been working for a non-profit, such as a church or Boy Scout troop. A newspaper sold for a penny counts as paid circulation. So one of the gimmicks the U-T has done in recent years (and I assume still does) is sell a bundle of Sunday papers to a church for an extremely low price-- say, a penny each. Then the charit sells it to its members (or non-members) for the full price. The charity pockets the difference and the newspaper can report higher circulation. Best, Don Bauder

Some of those corner hawkers are taking the newspapers from a vending box (pay for one, get twenty). Nice profit on those sales for the homeless.

The circulation figures should only include paid subscriptions, but many publishers will also give a number for estimated sharing of each issue. Papers distributed to libraries, for instance may be shared by many people. Families and businesses who subscribe may be assumed to be sharing.

So it's hard to compare readership of the Reader and the U-T, but I suspect they are comparable. Is there any data, Don?

swell: Oh yes, even as far back as when I was there (1973-2003), the U-T jacked up circulation artificially by using a multiplier, assuming that one copy was passed around among several people.

As for the thefts from vending boxes, I was not aware of that stunt. Best, Don Bauder

Don, do you know if schools still get the newspaper? I know that if a subscriber went on vacation they could donate their paper to a local school. Do schools, or ore importantly, their teachers, even bother with print news? Seems these days they would be exploring news stories on a tablet.

I live in a small community of 30 homes. In the not all that distant past at least three quarters of the neighborhood got the news paper. Now only one person gets the paper and only the Sunday edition.

Christopher O. Carmichael: It like that "tronced up." Congrats. Best, Don Bauder

I suppose I am a statistic. I get the Sunday edition and have for about two years. They are probably counting me as a subscriber. The odd thing is that I am not a subscriber. I never asked for the paper, never paid for it, but here it is every Sunday. I've become friendly with the oriental delivery woman with a big 5AM "Good morning!". Maybe she just delivers because she likes me? How many other counted 'subscribers' are getting their news gratis?

Even now, I like the paper. There is some good reporting. There are local news items you won't find elsewhere. There are some good people. Unlike many, I have no interest in sports, entertainment, comics or advertising. Still there is stuff I want- business, local, regional, and (in my dotage) I scan the obits just to be sure I'm not listed. I would be very sorry to see it die.

swell: As I have been saying for several years here, a subscriber should call up and cancel. He or she will be offered a subscription at a lower price. Turn down the offers until there is one that is really cheap. Economically, it's more important for the U-T to boost circulation than it is to gather money from subscriptions.

I don't know why you are getting it free. Yes, you are probably counted as a subscriber. I agree that there is some good reporting in the U-T. Don't bother to scan the obits to ascertain if you are listed. You or your survivors would have to have paid for that obit. Best, Don Bauder