Do People Still Read The Trades?

[Donna Halper]

I asked this on another list-serv that is more national in focus, but 
I also wanted to ask you nice folks on a more local basis.

Once upon a time, in a kingdom before the internet, we all subscribed 
to the Trades-- like Billboard, Radio & Records, even some of the tip 
sheets like Friday Morning Quarterback.  These days, so much has 
changed, and as I do my budget, I am wondering what to re-new.  So 
much is on line now, and so much is duplicated.   Over the years, a 
lot of stations just kept getting all the major trade publications, 
almost like it was a habit, but now I notice some stations cutting back.

Do any of you still subscribe to Radio & Records or Inside 
Radio?  Since Tom Taylor moved over to Radio-Info, I find myself 
wondering if I still need the outrageously expensive subscription to 
Inside Radio, and I also wonder whether I need to subscribe to Radio 
& Records (which used to give us advertisers a discount but now 
doesn't any more).  Billboard still has some interesting articles, 
although it seems a lot of their content is moving onto their 
website.  I get several radio business magazines, and some general 
industry news mags, but there's only a finite amount of time, and 
subscription rates ain't cheap.  So what's still worth subscribing 
to, as far as you are concerned, and why?  Do any of you still get 
the tipsheets and what trades are valuable to you?  Of course I am a 
big fan of print journalism, since I've done so much free-lancing 
over the years.  But I need to re-evaluate my budget for the 
up-coming year, as I said; and I'm trying to figure out what I need 
and what is no longer worth the money.  Your opinions?