I largely agree. What the NYT needs to do is pretty much not be the NYT anymore. However, given that most of the interested parties there probably cannot agree upon that, let alone make it happen, things will probably get much worse for them before they get better. Although Hubski isn't on anyone's radar, authors have actually been quite receptive to jump in here when we point out that a discussion about their work is going on. That suggests to me that there is an alternate journalist/reader relationship that isn't being addressed.
As a weekday NYT subscriber I like what the paper delivers. I like some offline news stimulation. Absorbing current events one page at a time is very different from getting link baited by the sidebar. I like the pace, I like that it's not as self curated. I have an automatic online subscription but I rarely use it.
When I vacation at my grandmother's cottage in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I read the Mining Gazette most days. It's nowhere near the quality of the NYT, but it is enjoyable to hold a paper and drink coffee. On a related note, I have a Kindle, but I am finding myself losing the motivation to read on it. I like the physical experience, and I want the book when I am done. I don't feel like having it in my Kindle account means that I have it. I can't loan it to a friend. But newspapers are going to change. Hopefully we can end up with something similarly satisfying.