Secrets of the City

Wow.

Somewhere in St. Paul, Pi Press folks are laughing. Or crying. Or maybe both,

Kind of makes Ander’s exit seem all the more timely. Can anyone remember a time that selling a newspaper to a private equity firm resulted in good news? Anyone? Sad day for Minnesota journalism.

You wonder what will happen to all the interesting online things the Strib has been doing. And does McClatchy hate Minneapolis/St. Paul? First they sell the Pi Press off to avoid anti-trust problems… then they sell the Strib? Weird.

Make that Anders (pesky apostrophes).

And I think you’re right, Not From Here. They’re probably doing both.

Decisions, decisions…….the PiPress is such a weak paper when you stack it up against the Strib for news content, columnists, features, coverage of special events, etc….but the Strib is such a left leaning, “we won’t publish names of sports teams that we feel are derogatory” politically correct newspaper that the only decent publications left to read are The Onion and maybe USA Today!

Just a thought… I don’t think the people at the Pioneer Press will be doing any laughing. Remember, they just got downsized themselves…

Sad day for Minnesota news, indeed.

Crazy news&

But it’s hard to say which way this is going to go. Sometimes when an equity group buys a company they are able to better focus on the long-term growth and not worry about the monthly or quarterly plans. But most of the time these groups go in after growing companies. But since we’re talking about slowing industry, it makes me wonder if this group is the type that will go in and strip mine down to the minimum to make it as profitable as can be.

At this point only time will tell. I bet we’ll see the big cuts like those that came down at the PiPress. The PiPress probably won’t be the only ones to find themselves stuck with a smaller newsroom. This may be better for the community so long as the new owners put news as a priority. But newsrooms dont make money. So it’s probably just the next chapter in the inevitable decline/transformation of the Strib.

Not great news. McClatchy sold that Star Tribune at a huge loss (they apparently bought the paper for $1.2 billion). Now maybe McClatchy can recoup some of that loss through tax breaks etc. but it suggests they have less confidence in the Twin Cities newspaper market than with their other newspaper properties. The Star Tribune has been slowly but steadily losing readership and has so far been unable to stop, much less reverse, that trend. I’ve been told by friends with spouses who work at the Strib that morale among the staff is very low – they are quite aware of the declining readership issue. McClatchy brought a lot of external resources to the Strib – I just wonder how well it is going to operate as a single newspaper as the new owners don’t own any others nor do they appear to have any prior experience running a newspaper.

Two things:
1. Does this mean a potential change in the stance of the Tribune editorial board?

2. I was troubled by the proclamation that they have to give the readers what they want, the way they want it, etc. How about just telling them what is happening? You know, report news.

as the new owners don’t own any others nor do they appear to have any prior experience running a newspaper.

Not exactly true. Chris Harte, who will be chairman of StarTribune, has a long history in newspapers.

I love how you fascist pigs (scoste,kwatt) are all bent becuz of the so called Liberal Strib.

What a crock of shit.

I’ve seen more Liberal Reformed Christian Abortion Clinic Bombers.

Go suck Katherine Kersten’s tatas you sniveling whiny bastards.

this sounds like the perfect opportunity for someone to start a third newspaper that encompasses BOTH cities and doesn’t suck like the existing ones (which are only going to begin sucking more now).

Anyone? Tom?

There already is a third newspaper that can be delivered to your door step every morning. It’s called the New York Times. I guess if you like readings the national stories in the Strib 2-3 weeks later or you really need to see the local crime report you can keep your Strib and PP subscriptions but I canceled mine long ago.

Sounds like Sid Hartman might want to start gathering his dish of hard candies from his desk and yank that slip cover off his chair before they ship him off to a retirement home for blindly supportive sports columnists.

Here’s a better article that explains more of McClatchy’s rationale behind selling the paper for far less than what they paid for it.

I think Sid’s close personal friends with Avista Capital Partners, so that might help him out.

The end of Witherinmg Glance is nigh….

The end of Witherinmg Glance is nigh….

…and not a moment too soon.

In our latest ‘column’, we learn that Claude and Rick both wear sensible brown wingtips!

Bud jr. whatever will you masterbate to once WG is gone?

Well, you always have your Wrestling Magazines!

LOL, Weezerz……have a bad day or something??

The NY Times story was a little less saccharine than the Strib’s coverage. Note the “drag on the bottom line” quote.

Now we know why Anders bailed. I’m with Mpls Simpleton about getting the NY Times, though. It is a sad day for Mpls journalism.

Well at least McClatchy kept their promise of “No layoffs” – they just never said anything about a “sell off”

Heck, why is everyone so surprised – apparently they’ve *always* been considering divesting themselves of the Star Tribune – now just happened to quite convenient thanks to the IRS!

With some more layoffs the Twin Cities could effectively become a 1.1 newspaper town (1/2 staff @ the Pi and 1/2 staff at the Strib + the weeklys …)?

Good points, Roger.

But don’t forget the twice-monthly and monthly neighborhood papers. Maybe that pushes you to 1.2?

Some more fallout: the Star Tribune foundation will be moving out. That’s going to hurt unless the new owners replace it.

I can’t imagine that a private equity firm is going to step up like that.

Coleman has his word.

Also: does this mean we’ll see more days of the amazingly disgusting advertisement background on the strib.com site? How fucking classy is that? aWESEOM!@!#!

speaking of the website… more talk…
http://www.newsdesigner.com/blog/

hmmmmm… let’s make it link this time… how about this?

one more time…
http://www.newsdesigner.com/blog/