I wonder what the daily readership of the nation's (thinking USA) local newspapers are compared to the large national brands and the effect local reporting might have on Peak Oil Awareness.
I'm thinking about this as energy prices have broken into our local coverage. The paper did not ask "why" prices are getting so high but it did a pretty good job at canvasing some of the varied effects on high prices, talking about the trucking industry, our local grocerers and the price of asphalt and road repair.
I may be more doomerish than the reporter but I am so so thankful that the local media is starting to address the issue.
I think this might be a catalyst for a degree of change just by judging my spouses reaction.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('wifey', ' ') The issue of oil price and all of the things you've been talking about for two years now is in today's paper. You were right and I will keep that in mind in the future...
PeakOil is You
Local Newspapers
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Local Newspapers
by wisconsin_cur » Sat 08 Mar 2008, 04:08:40
and a little later...
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('wifey', 'D')o you think we need more pasta? ... I think we need more pasta in storage.
Articles from the national media brought her from freaking out about her husband being corrupted by the freaks on peakoil.com to understanding that there were a lot of people out there with the same concern, some of them smart, well educated and respected but there remained a disconnect. Now that the local media has taken up the cause she feels as if she can embrace it a bit more. People who live and work in our community are interviewed and commenting upon the impacts and that hits people closer to home than a report from a New York newspaper.
Any thoughts on the role of the local media to change perspectives? Can it do more than the WSJ and NYTes of the world?
From the Dunn County News
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he real multiplier effect in the price at the pump comes with increased fuel prices for transport businesses such as Menomonie’s John Dotseth Trucking. The price of diesel, used to transport the vast majority of the nation’s goods, hit another record high of $3.67 on Monday.
Dotseth operations manager Tammy Schneider explained that higher prices for fuel means those higher costs eventually get passed on to the consumer. Everything carried over the road in trucks is going to cost more.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'C')ity street department head Bruce Heath points out that, yes, Menomonie is paying higher fuel costs, “but where we really feel it is in the higher prices for asphalt products, street oiling, maintenance work. We heard from the companies who supply this material, and with the costs as high as they are, the petroleum industry is distilling everything down for fuel so asphalt products are more expensive.”
Despite the added costs and the impending road repair season, Heath is confident that the potholes and maintenance will get done. This is high priority for the department since this repair affects the road system and to neglect it would only compound the cost.
Instead, he expects to reduce other services “trying some different techniques, such as less de-icing salt on the roads, or salt mixed with sand. Other ways to stretch the budget dollar may be to paint the curbs every other year, or refacing them every other year.”
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')teve Fenn, manager at the MarketPlace in Menomonie, immediately pointed to the higher costs for packaging products in the market.
“With the increase in the price of oil, it affects the price of packaging all the way from the plastic used for the packaging of the products — including produce, bakery, and deli — to the bags used to carry the groceries from the store.”
He went on to concur with Schneider that food costs will definitely be affected by the increases in shipping surcharges, too. Fenn predicted that people will likely change their shopping habits by driving less and shopping for bargain foods instead of some of premium products on the shelf.
The record high petroleum prices have not affected revenues in the supermarket yet, Fenn said, but pointed out that this is uncharted territory. After all, the price of oil just set the all time record. It remains to be seen how extensive will be its effect on people’s lives.
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wisconsin_cur - Light Sweet Crude
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