It's habit-forming.

• Author: Saltzman, Joe

AN YEAR-OLD-MAN with an eighth-grade education who has been a window-washer all his life reads his morning newspaper every day, then watches three hours of local and network news on television. When asked why he does this day in and day out, his answer is simple: habit.

Twenty freshmen in a university seminar admitted to seldom looking at a newspaper and never watching TV news unless a major story (earthquakes, storms, sensational murders) grabs their attention. When asked where they get their information about what's going on in their world, they answer: friends. When asked why they would never miss an episode of their favorite daytime soap or "Melrose Place" every week their answer is simple: habit. We do many things by habit, especially watching TV. We get furious when the schedule changes. (Those who run TV know that if you want to really get the public angry, cancel a soap opera to cover a car chase or a sensational trial.) We go to work, get through the workday, watch TV, and organize our leisure time mostly by habit--the same programs, the same routes, the same routines, the same bar or restaurant, the same reliable friends. For generations, a habit ingrained in children by their parents was the daily ritual of reading the newspaper. Every morning or evening, Father would read the paper at the table or in his favorite chair and children would emulate his example. It became a habit to read all of the newspaper or sections of it. When radio developed, it became a family ritual to gather around the set to listen to entertainment, information, and news programs. Every night, listening to radio news became a habit. When television came into the home, watching the network news became a habit for millions of families throughout the country. It was part of the growing-up ritual. But in recent years, the habit of reading a daily newspaper, listening to radio news, or watching TV news has become eroded. Whereas past generations didn't feel that a day was complete unless they read or listened to the news, today's generations have lost that habit. It has happened before. The newspaper-reading public mostly was replaced by the radio--TV news-listening public. But for the first time in a long while, the replacement is fragmented or nonexistent. There are some who spend hours viewing computer screens for information, but most are content to hibernate in electronic rooms talking about "Star Trek" or "Baywatch."

Too many young people would rather...