Happy Earth Day, newspapers and Yellow Pages!
It’s Earth Day, and all along the beautiful country roads that lead to my home you see hybrid cars, signs for organic farms … and miles of piles of soggy telephone directories.
The directories were “delivered,” or “dumped,” by the phone company about 10 days ago. The overwhelming majority are still sitting on the shoulders, in the ditches, or blowing in the fields. And this is just one of about five competing books that get dumped each year.
It’s an insane waste of paper in a time when most people find what they need online. The companies could solve this by delivering only to people who requested a book, but they don’t dare do that. If they did, advertisers might realize what a farce the books are.
Of course, seeing that you’re in the newspaper business, I don’t need to tell you that. Papers have been pulling the same trick with TMC products for years.
Do the directory publishers get it? No. In a recent story, one said it’s just “Wall Street” that doesn’t get it.
I’m not sure there’s a Wall Street in my neck of the woods, but none of the other streets seem to understand the situation, either.
p.s.: No trees were harmed in the making of this website.
