The recession, as we all know, is hitting print newspapers across the country quite hard. Turns out it isn't just the printed editorials and news items that are feeling the heat. The recession is also having a major impact on crossword puzzles.
That's right: CROSSWORD PUZZLES.
That's when you know we're in trouble. But, there is something you can do to help.
More after the jump.
The New York Sun, before it went defunct last September, carried one of the best daily crossword puzzles in the country, arguably as strong or better than that of The New York Times (full disclosure: The NYT puzzle is actually my favorite). Peter Gordon, the Sun's puzzle editor, worked very hard to bring fresh and fun puzzles to the paper. The Sun's puzzles have won great praise from some of the perennial top solvers at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Even the famous Jeopardy! champion (and potential dark horse Utah Senate candidate) Ken Jennings said that if you were a crossword fan, the Sun's puzzles were "primo stuff" that were "even better and more innovative than those from other high-quality outlets like The New York Times."
Tyler Hinman, the defending ACPT champion who recently won his fifth consecutive tournament crown, wrote on his blog yesterday that Peter Gordon would resurrect the Sun's puzzles if there were enough subscribers.
Here's where we come in.
Gordon is asking for 1,000 to 2,000 subscribers to pay no more than 20 cents per puzzle. Stretched out to 12 months, that's $50 per year if the puzzles are published five days a week (excluding holidays), and $31.50 per year if they're published three days a week. It's not very much, and no, you do NOT have to be a former subscriber of The Sun to get them.
All you have to do is go here to sign up.
http://www.suncrossword.com/...
Just give them your name and e-mail address, and for now that's it. As of March 10, 2009, Gordon has about 290 subscribers -- a lot, but not enough to continue providing puzzles from The Sun.
Let's be clear: I'm NOT advocating for you to stock up money to save The New York Sun. I was no fan of the neoconservative ideology that riddled its editorial pages and its news items (which, in 2006, carried more articles related to "Iraq" and "appeasement" than did The New York Times, according to a Nexis search......no small accomplishment for a paper whose circulation was about 150,000 readers in 2007).
Whatever The Sun's failings were, that's besides the point. The point of this diary was to inspire at least one of you -- just ONE person who loves crosswords -- to bring the puzzles back. The fact that more and more print newspapers across the country are shutting down means that your favorite crossword puzzles may be in danger of shutting down as well (because it costs money to print and publish them too).
From one crossword lover to another, don't let it happen.
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Here is an example of a fun Monday puzzle from The Sun. Take 30 minutes out of your day to give it a shot! I promise you'll have fun doing it.
http://www.suncrossword.com/...
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Cross-posted at Talking Points Memo