QOTD #85: Do you subscribe to print media?

We get so many, I have trouble keeping up.
But I really enjoy having good reading material around and it's not much money, so what the heck.
The top of the heap:
I read the New Yorker weekly. Excellent long form journalism of a kind that is disappearing elsewhere.
Scientific American.
Cooks Illustrated. Not as taken by it as I once was, and it may be time to try a new cooking magazine.
National Geographic.

 

I don't. I do read some occasionally at the library. I have a bad habit of not getting rid of old magazines. And I think with all the new movies and TV shows, and all the time people are spending on-line, it is taking away from people being able to read the paper or magazines.

Now, I do understand the need for an independent media that investigates the big important issues. And I wouldn't mind contributing to that financially. But they would need to release their findings on paper, in TV interviews, movie documentaries, and on-line.

 

I get Smithsonian magazine with membership as a Smithsonian Associate. I gave up home delivery of the Washington Post for the paid, full access, digital version.

At work, I get comp copies of American City & County and Governing

 

Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Time, and Real Simple. Going to let Time lapse as I never read it. The rest are handy for when a mobile device is not. We no longer subsctibe to a newspaper but 2X weekly one lands on our driveway. At first it was fun to read, but Ahwatukee is just not that interesting and it is very easy to pull up the digital version, if desired.

 

I used to, but not any more. We do get some didn't-ask-for-them magazines that are related to my wife's membership in a teacher's association.

Note: Many years ago I was a member of the NRA, and had a subscription to New Republic at the same time. Which lead to me being on two extremely divergent mailing lists.

Edit--I would like to have a subscription to Texas Monthly, but my wife has never taken my strong hints.

 

Interesting that Smithsonian got mentioned a couple of times above.
We tried it for a year and I wanted to like it. I just couldn't. I couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be, or what the editors saw as the mission of the magazine.

 

I had the same experience with Smithsonian, it never made me want to read it. I started it on either one those Low Introductory Rate trial offers or maybe I got a few months free. I ignored the first few 'reminder' form letters asking me to take out a subscription at full price.

Then I received a very strongly worded form letter telling me that I had taken advantage of their generous offer (yes I did, you made the offer) and I should feel obliged to take out a subscription. I did not expect, or appreciate, this strong-arm tactic from Smithsonian.

On that note....the reminder notices I received from numerous publishers wanting me to re-up subscriptions four to five months in advance bugged the hell out of me. I knew that that circulation numbers were important to them to set their advertising rates, and the sooner they had the numbers the better, but there was no way I was going to pay for re-up that far in advance.

 

I find an interesting article or two in Smithsonian magazine but it is more a throw in for my Smithsonian membership that provides access to private tours, discounts on concerts, lectures and other events, etc.

 

I've used Beau Zeau.

 

No no I do not.

 

Used to subscribe when I was much younger. So much info is available online now though. But I off and on subscribe to car magazines. I like car and driver, and automobile magazine. I might pick those up again. They only cost about 10-12 a year for each of them. It's a little exciting to get them in the mail, finding out what the latest tests are, and enjoying the tech articles.