MARY KRAMER: Papers' challenge is reflecting readers.

This article reports that Detroit, Michigan, will again have two morning newspapers namely "Sunday New York Times," and the combined "Detroit News/Free Press." Shareholders had long badgered the journal "Knight Ridder" for its poor financial performance in Detroit. Thousands of readers would love to get "The Detroit News," in the morning. The JOA took effect between the newspapers "Detroit News," and "The Detroit Free Press." "Detroit News," lost more than 300,000 subscribers in just five years, more than a third of them former morning subscribers. The two papers had a combined circulation of more than 1.3 million papers. The JOA partnership never worked because the two partners wouldn't each give a little to build their business to benefit both parties. Today, thanks in part to the bitter 1995 strike, the combined daily circulation stands at 566, 288 daily and 683,000 on Sundays. In many ways, metro Detroit is a dysfunctional family because of history, because of racial issues, because of economics.