For many readers, especially those of us here in the MUTTS community, the morning ritual of flipping through the daily newspaper has a special place in our hearts. There’s nothing quite like scanning the comics section over a cup of coffee (carefully leaving your favorite strip for last), or cutting out a particular strip that connects with you and hanging it on the fridge. Of course, we know that a fortunate few of you still spend your mornings with a physical newspaper, which warms our hearts.
MUTTS — and so many other wonderful comics — still grace the pages of papers across the world, but there have certainly been changes in recent years. Many readers have written to us expressing concern that MUTTS has disappeared from their local paper, asking if there’s anything they can do to bring it back.
To understand why these changes happen, it’s helpful to know about the dynamics of the newspaper industry. While some local papers are still run independently or by small regional groups, most papers these days are owned by larger news networks, such as Gannett (which owns USA Today), Hearst Corporation, Tribune Publishing Company, and others. This structure means that decisions about content, including comic strips, are often made at the network level rather than by individual newspapers. And when these networks renegotiate contracts with comics syndicates or decide to change their offerings, it affects all papers within their network.
We understand the disappointment that comes with discovering your favorite comic has been removed from your local lineup. Traditionally, the best way to voice your concern has been to write a letter to your paper’s “features” editor, and we still recommend this. Sometimes, if enough readers reach out, it can make a difference.
To all who have contacted us directly to express love and support for MUTTS, we hear and appreciate you. We don’t have any say over which newspapers or networks publish MUTTS, but we’re committed to providing you with the latest MUTTS strip online, for free. It’s always available on our site at MUTTS.com, and we also deliver it to the inboxes of our daily email subscribers.
Some have asked how they can best support MUTTS, now that the newspaper comic lineups are changing. We assure you we’re not going anywhere, but if you want to help, the very best way to do that is to subscribe to our emails. And if you’re already subscribed, we would love for you to encourage other readers to sign up for the Daily MUTTS, or to share the strip with friends and family.
The evolving landscape of the newspaper industry means that change is inevitable, but the good news is that there are still many ways to enjoy — and pass along — the comics you’ve come to know and love.
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