A story in Friday’s Washington Post says that with circulation cooling off, competition heating up and retail distribution thinning out, the Washington City Paper took to the streets last week, deploying 20 hawkers to offer the paper outside 10 Metro stations in the District.
The District has two other free papers—the Washington Examiner and the Express.
The City Paper is trying to offset dwindling in-store distribution. A few restaurants and grocers stopped carrying the paper after customers complained that readers left copies on tables or threw them on the streets. Also, more chain retailers, with policies prohibiting distribution of local newspapers, are moving in.