Pa. newspapers fight Senate bill on legal ads
Philadelphia Inquirer, The, April, 2008 by Mario F. Cattabiani Inquirer Staff Writer
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HARRISBURG - The state Senate is poised to consider a bill that would allow local governments to place legal notices in free community papers and end a monopoly long enjoyed by the established newspaper industry. Advocates say the bill would save tax dollars by offering a cheaper alternative to newspaper ad rates for such announcements as proposed zoning changes, bid contracts, and future public meetings.
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But critics, namely daily newspapers and their lobbying arm, argue that allowing legal notices in so-called shoppers, which they say few people read or want, would shortchange the public in the end. The issue has produced rhetoric on both sides, with newspaper representatives calling free papers "junk mail" and a consultant for free papers labeling dailies as a "cartel" bent on protecting a coveted revenue source. Two Senate committees have endorsed the proposal, Senate Bill 428, without opposition, and the full chamber could vote on ...
