Dear New York Times

I love your newspaper. I read it every day. In fact, sometimes I read it several times a day. I carry it with me everywhere I go so I can read it on the train, while eating lunch, walking down the street, in the bathroom, waiting in line… wherever. I love your writing, the stories and the format. I am getting it all for free too.

I get the NYT on my HTC Evo. It’s great because it updates all day and I never spend a dime. I noticed the only advertisement I EVER see is for home delivery. I’ll be honest, you will never get me to order a subscription. I still purchase books and magazines, but newspapers are too big and don’t add value to me. I hate getting newsprint on my fingers and I don’t feel like carrying around one more thing (right now I just carry my phone and wallet… I’m sure those two will merge eventually too). I would consider a monthly recap/collectors edition magazine with the best stories, best photographs and best of everything, but I don’t see myself ordering a full paper with home delivery.

So my suggestion: do a little pop up ad here or there. I won’t mind. Add a little ad for a deli at the bottom. Or maybe get a locksmith to throw in an ad here or there at the bottom of a story. Or a car dealership can advertise. Whatever. You could compete with ads sold by Google, Facebook, Myspace and the other sites that have popped up selling ads. In fact, as a photographer that makes money from people advertising, I will LOVE you for it!

The fact is: I love the work you do and I want you to keep doing it. in fact, I want you to hire some more strong writers and turn it in to the best news publication in the world… and I want it or free. So charge for ads on mobile devices and get a few on there! Really, it is much better than trying to convince me to pay to have the paper delivered to my home and will actually save you money (no paper + no shipping + no delivery costs = more money you can spend on hiring writers, giving yourself bonuses and catered lunches)

Thanks for reading,
Michael Donovan