Well, when I look at the NP Full Comment page I see 1...2...3...maybe 4 bloggers there and Conrad Black writing from his prison cell. Cranking out words for nothing, in other words. Look at the Macleans page and you see, I think, a couple more willing word slaves over there.
As for the quality: at the Post at least, arguably no worse.
As someone who thinks the blogs have played very little role in the dire straits the newspapers find themselves in, here is one effect I think they will have going forward: suppressing the market value of professional wordsters. No more escargot for Paul Wells; its nothing but Kraft Dinner as far as the eye can see.