The slow death of newspapers

While walking back from lunch this afternoon, I saw something odd...attractive models, dressed in black, handing out copies of the San Jose Mercury News for free on University Avenue. Is that what newspapers need to do to compete with Craigslist and other forms of online media that continues to claw away at their margins? If so, I feel very sad for them. One of the models even had one of those flashing MGD buttons...perhaps for her gig come happy hour pushing Miller Genuine Draft to the masses. Sadder still...no one was taking the paper from their hands...just a simple "no thanks" from each passerby.

Now I still get the Chronicle delivered every morning...cause it feels good to have the paper on the morning train to work (even though I glance at sfgate.com when I awake) or in front of me on Sunday morning, but mostly because I only pay $0.30 a week for having it deliverd to my door.

I don't see the younger generation reading them on the train. Books and magazines...but not newspapers. How long before they wither away and die?