A gripe about the Chronicle

Can someone please explain to me why the Chronicle I get in Belconnen has a real estate section for Queanbeyan in the middle? Have they done some research that says us northsiders want to move there?

And if it makes people here feel any better I once reversed right into the Chronicle delivery driver’s car as I came out my driveway. No damage to me, big dent in their side! Had to cough up some money though…

By Christ, there are a lot of people who are passionately anti the content of this publication who, by their own admission, don’t read it!

I HATE the Chronicle. No letterbox sign, no billboard, and not even neons would stop those mongrels throwing the Chronicle on my nature strip. I have no use for the Chronicle, won’t open it on principle and simply chuck it into the recycling each week. For a while there I tried an experiment – thinking that if I left it on the lawn from last week, the dumbass delivery guy wouldn’t throw another one, but they did…so I left it for yet another week, and again, a third paper was thrown. So my experiment failed, hence the recycling option.

What’s the point of the Chronicle? Who cares about news that’s at least a week old? Who gives a rip about real estate in Queanbeyan?

***HATE***HATE***HATE***HATE***HATE*** the Chronicle.

You’ve nailed what is the most salient benefit of the Chronicle, in my opinion, Duke. The Chronicle covers the stuff that the CTimes isn’t going to. The full write-up of the Gordon Gang-Gangs in the local third division of the [insert sport here], the write up of the Cystic Fibrosis fund-raiser next Tuesday ($5 cover charge, bring a plate) and what’s the money shot for a LOT of people — the free TV guide.

Again, I’m not a flag-waver for this publication because I’m not a big consumer, but it serves a role, or rather, a lot of roles. So I reckon that’s worth sucking it up and either finding some way of not having yours delivered or making the supreme sacrifice to throw it in the recycling or the floor of… I was about to say ‘Thumper’s cage’ but I’ll change that to ‘Flopsy’s cage’ or into the compost or whatever.

Gotta say I read it too Felix – not that I ever find much decent in it but I think it’s important to have free community newspapers. I like the tradies classifieds in the back and those Canberra sports stories that the local broadsheet deems unworthy of print.

Jorge -So I guess you have rung up the chronicle to cancel your deliveries…or just here to have a sookie la la as well ?

Time here is time wasted fixing the problem..off ya go then…

I’m obviously in the minority but I quite like reading The Chronicle! Better than the Canberra Times (though Sunday Times is ok). The only real gripe I have with The Chronicle is all the Queanbeyan real estate ads. Why don’t the Canberra RE agents advertise? The trade directory is useful too, I’ve used a couple of tradespeople from there with good results. My Chronicle is delivered direct to my letterbox sans plastic wrapping.

Hey Danman,
Thanks for the travel advice, but I visit a developing nation once every couple of years. And one of the saddest things is to see how impoverished nations are slowly choking on useless, unwantad garbage. Why would we want to do the same here?

I agree with you, Danman, however I do confess to complaining about all sorts of petty everyday things like, “Who left this lying around on the floor where it will be stepped on? Who took my tweezers? Why is the excursion note not where I left it? Who used the last of the toilet roll and didn’t replace it? Why has my toothbrush got soap on it? etc. etc.”

My life is pretty exciting!

I do like the Chronicle though, because it is free and we don’t get the Canberra Times or anything. Sometimes it is nice to sit at the kitchen table with a coffee and paper to flick through.

Did I mention it was free?

; )

A consistent supply of deliverers was always a problem, and it’s compounded in winter due to to the weather and the reduced daylight hours, as the mainstay of deliverers (again, many moons ago) used to be school-kids. Maybe they’re too busy these days updating their MyFaceBebo pages or day-trading in oil futures or whatever they do these days to earn a bit of pin money putting out the Chronicle. (Though others have suggested it’s the domain of car deliveries these days.)

I saw something funny in Sydney on the weekend. I was waiting for a bus in Balmain when a shiny green convertible with the top down, driven by a middle-aged cloth-capped gent pulled up across the road. I was mildly curious about what he was doing and had to have a wry smile when he hoiked a Herald over the fence and zipped along to the next stop on his route.

When we first noticed that we were routinely getting one three days late, we gave them a call.
Then when it was getting to be routinely five days late, we gave them a call.
Then when we went about a month without one, and the one we did get was no longer relvant, we gave them a call.

Now I really don’t care.
But their advertisers might.

I love “The Chronic” for the free TV guide and lighting my fire. I can’t remembers the last time I wasted my money on buying a newspaper. On-line man, on-line!

If anyone has called and/or written to the Chronicle to express your views, good on you, but as Danman says, it might take more than one call.

If you are having a b!tch about it here but haven’t made your views known to Rural Press or Fairfax or whoever it is that puts the thing out these days, then may I politely suggest you tell the source about your problem because they simply don’t know what they don’t know.

What I do know is that there are many people in this town who DO value the Chronicle. I don’t know stats, but the only way they will know you’re a dissenter is if you tell them.

I just get thoroughly sick of the victim mentality syndrome that does something like this:

‘Waaa! I have Problem A.’
‘Have you told the creator of Problem A that this is a problem?’
‘Oh, that never works; they never listen.’

Riiiiiiight.

As I’ve mentioned before elsewhere, I used to work for the mob that distributed the Chronicle and back then, if there was someone who didn’t want it delivered, we made damn sure they were on the ‘do not deliver to’ list. BUT that was over 20 years ago, and I have no direct knowledge of current practices.

For the record, I will skim the Chronicle when I see it in about five minutes (if that) and recycle the paper bits, but I usually do find something of use (admittedly, often times it’s only of limited or marginal use) in each edition.

Of course I do not expect everyone to reflect my opinion – but compared to getting a newspaper I do not want on my lawn – there are bigger gripes in this world. (Disclaimer – In my opinion)

Others have stated that its as easy as a phonecall, maybe you have already made that phonecall to no avail, but if you were genuinely concerned, you would not stop at just one phonecall.

Maybe we have some chronicle representitives in the RA readership who could help out…

Danman said :

Pity you dont have something real to bitch about like not having a house to live in, no food to eat, 3rd world poverty etc.

Pull yer friggin necks in – if the only gripe you have in life is getting a free nespaper delivered that you do not wish for, then you all need some scope.

EVERYONE here is soo much better off than a shipload of people in Canberra, and the wider world.

Try thinking about what you have got before having a sookie-lala about things you dont want.

I suggest travelling in a developing nation and then come home and justify your complaints.

Um, no. Massive waste of resources that produces litter all over the place for seemingly little benefit. That is a reasonable issue to bitch about if you care about the state of your local environment, and waste in general.

Dart board targets? Oh well I did say “what you make of it”… 🙂

Top darts = good work

It annoys the bejeezus out of me too.

“I did not ask for it. Therefore it is litter.”

Exactly.

Pity you dont have something real to bitch about like not having a house to live in, no food to eat, 3rd world poverty etc.

Considering the massive wastefulness of the western world is responsible for quite a bit of the problems in poorer nations, dealing with wasteful attitudes like “if you don’t want it throw it in the bin” is doing a lot more for those people than whining about the complaints of others… while a few copies of the cronicle won’t solve the worlds problems, it’s the attitudes behind it that are causing half the problems in the first place.

“Yeah I saw your picture the other day Al – you and JR – Top Darts !!”

Dart board targets? Oh well I did say “what you make of it”… 🙂

I used to open it up for the TV guide every week, but I haven’t bene watching much Tv lately, so haven’t been bothering. I tend to open it to get to the JB leaflet, and skim the first couple of articles if they look interesting. When it comes a week late though I just piff it in the bin.

New Yeah said :

the Chronic’s greatest contribution to the people of Canberra – the ‘make a date’ pages.

Make a Date was terrific when in its prime.

Cuddly double amputee NS Asian male, liked marathons, long walks on the beach, rodeos and showtunes. Now just rodeos and showtunes. Sks lt Crs w/ GAM CBT BB, must live alone.

I get it on wednesday, read it over a couple of days – when i get a chance, pull out the entertainment guide and recycle the rest.

buggered what happens to others re the delivery days, but in sunny downtown kambah, it arrives on the same day, each week. Just wish the housing section included canberra properties, instead of just queanbeyan…

planeguy, read the thread and you’ll discover many of us have already done exactly that with no success.

Advertisers beware!

Mine used to arrive on time, so I used to keep the tv guide for use in the lounge room whle it was still valid, and occasionally have a flick through whatever crap they were peddling this week.

Then they started delivering it later and later, so I got maybe three days of tv guide, and the rest of it (no longer being a paper full of NEWS, merely OLDS) got used used to train puppies with, then it was used to start fires, then in summer it got used to keep the garden from evaporating its precious moisture.

Now, even though they claim it gets printed on a Monday and delivered on a Tuesday, in the weeks it actually gets delivered (maybe once every two months), it arrives the Thursday a week after it was printed.

So I get the August 18 edition on the 28th, etc.

How much do people pay to advertise in it, and how could it be seen as value for money?

I read mine – I flick thru anyway.

AS the chronicle is tailored to each area of Canberra (the front pages are different), it becomes locally relevant, and is not covered by a ‘no junk mail’ sticker. Same as political leaflets.

For all those saying “driveway to bin” can I suggest that you look inside the document, find the contact details listed, call them up (or email them) and ask to be taken of the distribution. We did about 4 years ago, and never get it on our driveway. Took us about 30sec.

The Chronicle is very disappointing. It has hardly any news and is full of ads. When I receive it I throw it straight in the bin.

I hate to say this but I am starting to prefer the CityNews over the Chronicle.

Yeah I saw your picture the other day Al – you and JR – Toip Darts !!

The rise of internet dating has destroyed the Chronic’s greatest contribution to the people of Canberra – the ‘make a date’ pages. They are now but a mere shadow of what they used to be. Therefore I have no real need to read that paper anymore.

“before having a sookie-lala”

Jeez Dan, kids read this site too OK?

Well I don’t mind the Chronicle and wouldn’t mind if it actually got delivered to our area. The journos in my time with GCC have all taken the role seriously and have made efforts to cover local stories and to tailor each issue to the district.

Dare I suggest it’s one of those “what you make of it” situations.

Danman said :

Pity you dont have something real to bitch about like not having a house to live in, no food to eat, 3rd world poverty etc.

Pull yer friggin necks in – if the only gripe you have in life is getting a free nespaper delivered that you do not wish for, then you all need some scope.

EVERYONE here is soo much better off than a shipload of people in Canberra, and the wider world.

Try thinking about what you have got before having a sookie-lala about things you dont want.

I suggest travelling in a developing nation and then come home and justify your complaints.

You could state the same comment on any article on RA…
How about you leave it for features about 3rd world poverty and local ‘people’ issues?

Personally, I’d rather bitch about the filth that is the Chronicle!

Driveway to bin for me.

I guess the advantage of throwing it out of a moving car is that they can ignore the no junk mail signs?

Pity you dont have something real to bitch about like not having a house to live in, no food to eat, 3rd world poverty etc.

yes danman we are not too bad off, but isnt that the whole point of riotact, to bring up everyday issues…

Pity you dont have something real to bitch about like not having a house to live in, no food to eat, 3rd world poverty etc.

Pull yer friggin necks in – if the only gripe you have in life is getting a free nespaper delivered that you do not wish for, then you all need some scope.

EVERYONE here is soo much better off than a shipload of people in Canberra, and the wider world.

Try thinking about what you have got before having a sookie-lala about things you dont want.

I suggest travelling in a developing nation and then come home and justify your complaints.

I hate it too – at the start of this year the people delivering the Chronicle observed all “no junk mail” stickers – now they ignore them completely. It’s nothing more than annoying, wasteful and disrespectful. It’s blatantly aimed at increasing distribution so they can charge more for advertising space.

Overheard, some of us have already contacted The Chronicle. They just tell you there’s nothing they can do and give all sorts or excuses. I don’t want it stuffed in my letterbox either, I don’t want it AT ALL! I HAVE ALREADY made a “No Chronicle” sign, and until recently it worked perfectly.

bubzie, you can’t recycle the plastic covering in the ACT and that doesn’t make amends for the cost of producing and delivering the piece of shit in the first place. It used to be delivered by foot in my suburb, now not only have they implemented non-recyclable packaging, but they’ve changed to motorised delivery methods!

straight to the bin too

maybe we need a bright red “no chronicle thanks” sticker or sign to display at the front of our properties ???

Unlike other people here it is a right pain in the arse. I also agree it is technically commercial littering. I have reported it, but typical red tape means nothing is done over the issue.

I do not have to walk by or on my front lawn. I enter my house through the garage. I’m not fat or lazy (the bike lives in the garage) but it is genuinely inconvenient to walk all the way out and pick it up.

I have complained to the Chronicle but all they say is, unfortunately we are unable to NOT deliver it to your specific address because our drivers work on a rotating roster. I call BS but all the Chronicle says is “it is proper mail.”

The point is not ‘oh well how hard is it to put it in your recycle bin’ the point is I don’t believe in all the waste that has gone into giving me something I do not want nor asked for. Producing the paper, the idiots that organise the shit that is The Farce-icle consume electricity, the waste of producing ink and wasting it on ads for crap I can find with google or the yellow pages whilst I check my emails, the waste of petrol for an idiot in a car to litter on my lawn and finally the effort to convert it back into paper pulp.

It’s a waste and a far too backward form of marketing. Maybe it would be better suited for Qbn?

the last time i, or anyone else in my street got delivered a copy of the chronicle, was over a mounth ago.

Pfft, get over it, recycle it if you dont like it, and have a thought for those people who have to travel to the shops to get a copy!!
(which normally turns into cheap cat litter, but hey..i recycle?)

The Chronicle goes directly from mailbox to bin for me. Johnboy: could you do a poll on who reads it? Or the Times, or any paper. I’ve not turned a newspaper page in 5 years.

The Chronicle appears in my letterbox. I have to admit that if I put up an Aspost-only label and found the Chronicle then on my garden I’d be mildly annoyed. But next I’d take it up with the Chronicle or the delivery person, but only when I was planning to travel somewhere and worried that it would flag our house as unattended.

It seems like most of The Chronicle is advertising, so why not start up a Chronicle website with all of the usual features of the paper and save the huge waste of paper/plastic associated with producing it each week? I mean, how many people read their Chronicle every week? 25-30% of householders? I bet that’s overstating it.

Seems like a huge waste of paper and plastic to me.

It’s tossed out of a moving car driving on the wrong side of the road. I almost got whacked with one walking back from the mall the other week.

you get your chronicle DELIVERED?! I have to visit the groggery in Oaks Estate to get a Chronicle. And what a load of rubbish it is. A few half-arsed articles to prop up pages and pages of ads. Occasionally they have a front-pager that looks all hard-hitting, and then it just fizzles out. I think the whole thing is just a rort, a newspaper-looking wrapping for JB Hi-Fi ad liftouts.

And yet there are an awful lot of the buggers on any given street.

You’ve asked a couple of questions here. But have you asked the Chronicle? Surely they would be able to provide the most authoritative answers. There are probably contact details on first couple of pages.

And while throwing it on the ground doesn’t suit you, stuffing people’s letterboxes creates just as many problems for people who don’t want their mailboxes impeded so their regular mail can fit in.

If you feel so strongly about it, have a custom sign made up for your letterbox advising you don’t want it. The Chronicle’s been around for 26 years. Has this not been an issue for you previously?

I know the problem… Your lazy.. Get off your ar$e and pick up your papers. Even if you don’t want to read it then don’t leave it there to end up in the gutters and waterways… You’re aiding the problem as much as the delivery of the papers.

I pick mine up all the time and mine never end up in the waterways or gutters – I also read it every now and then.

What is this world coming to…. Join in next weeks debate on whether the garbo man should return your bins to the backyard instead of causing unneccesary clutter on the roads and potential hazards…