As the crow flys (or eagle), Reading isn't far away, but its always been a long ride, even with the new by-pass. Their newspaper, The Reading Eagle, like the Morning Call was years ago, is family owned. Unlike the Call, now part of Tribune, it remained family owned. While Allentown is bigger, both papers report to have about the same circulation. While the Call's employees are hoping to unionize, the Eagle amployees are hoping to keep their jobs. The Eagle has filed Chapter 11, which holds back creditors, while the owner searches for a buyer.
Considering that it is the dominant media in the Berk's County area, I suspect that a buyer will be found. In the meantime, I don't see their employees unionizing.
The problem with Reading is that it is completely cut off from surrounding townships and boroughs. It suffered the same urban renewal pedestrianization of Penn Square that Allentown experiences with Hamilton Mall, with same deleterious effects. The prosperous burghers of northwestern Berks have adamantly opposed improving Route 222 between Allentown and Reading, making an average trip betweeen the two cities at least twice as long as the drive between Lancaster and Reading.
ReplyDeleteReading is one of the poorest cities in the US, competing for the honor with Camden. Wyomissing and West Reading and Exeter Township are bustling and prosperous. Al Boscov was the sole force behind keeping the city alive, or at least on life support.
I love Reading and Berks. My family goes back generations. I was born at Reading Hospital. But now that my mother no longer lives there, not much reason to go back.