News, monopolies, and cross-subsidies

Patterico has an interesting take on the subject previously noted here:

The Internet: Aiding the Race to Appeal to the Lowest Common Denominator

I think he overstates the point because he does not distinguish between paying customers (subscribers) and the free-riders who read the paper on the internet. There might be an audience for for tabloid stuff but that does not make it a market.

Tthe cubicle rats killing time by surfing for Paris Hilton headlines have a vast appetite for this bilge as long as it's free.

Why should the LA Times, or any other paper, chase a non-paying audience. That's pretty poor decision-making on the business side.