All media sucks right now. They all want you to pay, to subscribe.

[usonian]

18. Quality is worth it. The Onion Brought Back Its Print Edition. The Gamble Is Paying Off.

WSJ, PAYWALLED.
Imperfectly
https://archive.ph/g9UcN

When the Onion’s new owners acquired the satirical publication a year ago, they bet on a dying breed: print subscribers.

It is working.
Filled with spoof ads and satirical headlines that often take swings at the news of the day, the Onion has more than 53,000 subscribers paying as much as $9 a month. The publication has a new deal to sell its papers at Barnes & Noble, and is expecting about $6 million in revenue this year—up from less than $2 million in early 2024.

The Onion isn’t profitable, but Chief Executive Ben Collins aims to turn a profit next year. “People like getting something in the mail that’s not f—ing awful,” he said.

The publication’s results show that old-fashioned media products can find a niche despite changing reader habits and an unforgiving digital landscape.