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New Newspaper Bins

I agree, the whole idea is silly. What will they do if another major is launched - evict the lowest-circulation paper from the group box?

If the city disallows pigeoncondo they should disallow papercondo too as far as I'm concerned.
 
A newspaper can still distribute itself in shops, restaurants, schools, subway stations, etc. The street is not the only place a newspaper can be found...or launched from.
 
^^ Ask Chicago, New York, San Francisco and other large and small cities who've adopted this communal paper box if they've encountered that issue.

If a new daily arrives, the demand for larger bins will see it accommodated. I have a feeling those complaining about these bins have never seen them in context in cities where they're already employed.

Plain and simple: They work.
 
They don't exist in New York or San Francisco. Neither city controls the distribution of newspapers. The papers have boxes, which is as it should be.
 
AP, don't get so riled up about the free speech issue. The boxes spotted on Dundas are from the Downtown Yonge BIA and the newspaper publishers themselves.

spacing.ca/wire/?p=993
 
I loved these boxes in Chicago. They reduced clutter and were very attractive. They're all over the airport there, too.

I don't recall seeing them in SF or NY, are they only in certain areas there?
 
Don't have a cow over new boxes

The city already controls the number of newspaper boxes that are out there, it's only until recently that they have begun to enforce it their own rules.

From what I understand the now defunct Dose Magazine only got around the newspaper box freeze the city imposed by converting National Post box locations. How clever of them! Now that the magazine has been done for over a month, the now abandoned boxes have become trash bins. Who are responsible for them now? The newspaper? BS The city and the taxpayers in the end.

If a new start up newspaper were to start in Toronto (large or small) I highly doubt the city saying no to them. If the company is willing to fork out the money, new mega or single box locations can be created or empty locations be filled. I don't see the city ever saying NO to new sources of revenue.

So, let's not have a cow about losing our Freedom of Speech and so on because the city wants to simply regulate the look of newspaper boxes and in turn the overall look and feel of the city.

Louroz
 
Are newspaper boxes really necessary? I've never actually seen anybody buy a newspaper from a box on the sidewalk (but the boxes are a hit with free newspapers). It also seems like there are fewer boxes being placed in suburban locations (ie. the 905). I think newspapers are a dying breed.

I've only seen newspaper boxes in North American cities. I've never seen them in Asia, where most newspapers are sold from manned newsstands (I haven't been to the other continents, so perhaps you can tell me if boxes are popular or not in other places). Even in Toronto, with four major Chinese daily newspapers, you won't find a box selling Chinese papers, even in Chinatown. If the Chinese in Toronto (who are some of the most avid newspaper readers in this city) can live without boxes, maybe Star or Sun readers can live without them too.
 
Re: Don't have a cow over new boxes

I see people buying newspapers out of boxes all the time, I'm also one of them.

To me a cluster of newspapers is more than just boxes, they are landmarks for streets, meeting places for some people and from my own personal experience they create opportunities for spontanious with strangers. I enjoy the odd comment about the current headline/cover picture, which newspaper is better and my fav is, "I bought the last paper", as I push in my change, smile to the person and reach for the paper on the cover of the box and say "no you didn't"! For some odd reason people don't take the one on the cover.

So while they may night have newspaper boxes in Asia, Chinatown or Montreal I say they are necessay in Toronto!

Louroz
 
They don't exist in New York or San Francisco.

Such an affirmation would lead one to believe that you know what you're talking about. :rolleyes

A simple stroll along Market street in San Francisco would grant a glimpse of SFs beautifully detailed newspaper boxes to even a distracted person.

I've seen them in New York as well. There is one in the vicinity of Rockefeller Center. There's also one at Battery Park and a slew of them around Wall Street.
 
Re: Don't have a cow over new boxes

If they want to sell newspapers anywhere they want then they can go hire newspaper boys like they used to and have them stand on street corners. I really don't see why newspapers which are money making businesses would have access to the public domain in ways other businesses do not. There aren't many non-profit newspapers out there. One thing I do question is how it is determined who gets space in the bins. Hopefully they have a criteria which allows new papers to get a foothold rather than criteria which protects the existing ones from competition.
 
I don't recall newsboxes in London or Paris. Lots of newstands everywhere though.
 
Re: Don't have a cow over new boxes

A simple stroll along Market street in San Francisco would grant a glimpse of SFs beautifully detailed newspaper boxes to even a distracted person.

A visit to any part of San Francsico or NY off the tourist path would show you the individial boxes for the individual newspapers - sold without government interference. Though you may not be capable of thinking thoughts that aren't government sanctioned, which is what you're advocating.
 
^Must you resort to belittling people when they don't agree with you? Your holier/smarter/hipper than thou attitude gets really tiring sometimes.
 
Re: Don't have a cow over new boxes

You would think andreapalladio was 4 yrs old with those comments. Go cry somewhere else when somebody doesn't agree with you. Your poor contributions to this board, with your rather snobby comments do little to add intelligent and useful information to this forum . I'd think we have a new AreBe on our hands.
It's funny how some people like yourself fly right by our moderators radars while others get shhh'd the minute they say something confrontational.

Back on topic: nobody is saying that individual boxes cannot co-exist with these mutli paper boxes. In fact, this is what will likely happen.

The city is not proposing banning individual boxes, they're proposing cleaning up areas where multiple newspaper boxes create clutter. I doubt we will see mutli-paper boxes in small neighborhoods and outside the city's major centers.
 

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