Rocky Mountain News Folding... - The Orange Mane

TheDave · 02-26-2009, 11:13 AM

...Tomorrow.

Just heard it on the Radio... Couldn't Find a link yet

TheDave · 02-26-2009, 11:14 AM

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_11791798

Found one...

A nearly 150-year publishing run will end Friday as the Rocky Mountain News prints its final edition.
The News becomes the latest casualty in an industry stricken by a spiraling decline in newspaper economics.
News owner E.W. Scripps announced today that the paper will shut down after efforts to find a buyer failed.
More than 200 newsroom staffers will face their last deadlines and file their final stories after enduring months of nervous uncertainty over the News' future.
Known familiarly as the Rocky, the newspaper founded in 1859 was Colorado's first. It's believed to be the longest-running business in Denver.
Despite a 2001 joint operating agreement between the News and The Denver Post intended to cut costs and keep both papers in business, Scripps no longer could absorb financial losses at the News.
The News lost $16 million in 2008.
Scripps said Dec. 4 that it would put the News up for sale, and then would consider closing it if a qualified buyer didn't surface.
"The operating conditions have become increasingly difficult in Denver," Scripps chief executive Rich Boehne said in December. "Cash flow...is no longer enough to support the Rocky, leaving us with no choice but to seek an exit."
Loss of subscribers, declining advertising revenue, the rise of the Internet and general economic weakness all have contributed to the plunging fortunes of newspapers, particularly those that compete in the same cities for shares of shrinking income.
"While it is disappointing that the Rocky will no longer be servicing the community, it should come as no surprise that newspapers are under increasing pressure from multiple channels of information that have scattered the mass audience newspapers once held," said Derigan Silver, an instructor of mass communications and journalism at the University of Denver.
"Unfortunately, not all of these new outlets have the ... ability to build social capital the way traditional newspapers do," Silver said.
Scores of News supporters had written letters and posted Internet appeals to keep the paper alive. But none of the efforts had the financial support to attract Scripps' attention.
Since 2005, Scripps has closed newspapers in the two-paper markets of Cincinnati, Albuquerque and Birmingham, Ala.
Nationally, only about 10 cities still have major, competing dailies, including Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
Owners of major papers including the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune and Philadelphia Inquirer recently have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after advertising revenue failed to keep pace with expenses and debt obligations.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer publisher Hearst Corp. has put the newspaper up for sale, and will either close it or switch to an Internet-only publication if a deal does not materialize.
Hearst also announced that it may sell or close the San Francisco Chronicle unless it can achieve "significant" cuts in newsroom jobs and expenses.
The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press recently announced that they will offer home delivery just three days a week, leaving readers with smaller newsstand editions or Internet coverage on other days. The Detroit News is owned by MediaNews Group, publisher of The Denver Post.
Dozens of newspapers have cut budgets and trimmed staffing in an effort to survive the transition to new publishing models.
The Denver Newspaper Agency, which runs the combined business operations of The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News, recently negotiated an 11.7 percent cut in wages and benefits from its union workers in a quest for $18 million in concessions. Similarly, MediaNews Group received about $2 million in givebacks from Denver Post union employees.
Spending on newspaper ads fell 9.4 percent in 2007 to $42 billion, and dropped an additional 17 percent in the first three quarters of 2008, the worst plunge in at least 37 years, according to the Newspaper Association of America.
Collectively, U.S. newspapers haven't recorded a gain in advertising since early 2006.
Classified advertising revenues have been especially hard hit, down 16.5 percent from 2006 to '07, as advertisers and their customers have shifted to Web-based vehicles such as craigslist.com. "Newspaper economics these days are unprecedented," Edward Atorino, a New York-based publishing analyst with The Benchmark Co., said recently. "There hasn't been an environment like this since the Great Depression, or before."

HEAV · 02-26-2009, 11:20 AM

Damn shame!

I love the RMN it's better than the post in my opinon. I'm going to miss it.

alkemical · 02-26-2009, 11:20 AM

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/new...-a-rocky-road/

TheDave · 02-26-2009, 11:22 AM

Just a sign of the times... News Papers are struggling as it is. Add to it the current economy and the disapearance of the credit market and... well... there goes that.

HEAV · 02-26-2009, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDave

Just a sign of the times... News Papers are struggling as it is. Add to it the current economy and the disapearance of the credit market and... well... there goes that.

Is it possible that the post could fold also?

sirhcyennek81 · 02-26-2009, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDave

Just a sign of the times... News Papers are struggling as it is. Add to it the current economy and the disapearance of the credit market and... well... there goes that.

Why read a newspaper when you can go online and go to 6 different newssites? This will be the fate of most printed periodicals.

TheElusiveKyleOrton · 02-26-2009, 11:28 AM

I prefer the Post to the News in almost every way, but it's a shame to see Denver turn into a one-paper town. The owner of the Post is a total schrutebag.

Rohirrim · 02-26-2009, 11:29 AM

In twenty years will any newspaper exist?

TheDave · 02-26-2009, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HEAV

Is it possible that the post could fold also?

Unless papers figure out how to make a business case for giving away their content online for free... I wouldn't be surprised if most of them fold.

ak1971 · 02-26-2009, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirhcyennek81

Why read a newspaper when you can go online and go to 6 different newssites? This will be the fate of most printed periodicals.

Yeah I agree... I like to read the weekend editions sitting around, but most news comes from elsewhere.

bowtown · 02-26-2009, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

In twenty years will any newspaper exist?

Not in hardcopy.

wolf754life · 02-26-2009, 11:36 AM

finally, good riddance, it was a rag anyways.

titan · 02-26-2009, 11:37 AM

I remember seeing an episode on Death Valley Days as a kid on the founding of the Rocky Mtn News - sad to see it fold. I've subscribed to both the Post and RMN for years - RMN is the favorite in our house. One less source for Bronco info.

Kaylore · 02-26-2009, 11:37 AM

It's extremely unfortunate. The Post is too liberal and their Broncos coverage sucks dick compared to the News. Lee Rasizer and Jeff Legwold were some of the best writers we've had since Schefter was in town. Now we get to read the ramblings of Jim Armstrong, Woody Paige and the vomit that spews from the cess pool of Mark Kiszla. Oh joy.

montrose · 02-26-2009, 11:39 AM

Sad day for those of us who work in media.

eddie mac · 02-26-2009, 11:41 AM

Truly gutted about this especially losing Lee Rasizer and Jeff Legwold as writers.

TheDave · 02-26-2009, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolf754life

finally, good riddance, it was a rag anyways.

If only they had your "sources"...

What could of been.

theAPAOps5 · 02-26-2009, 11:43 AM

Denver Broncos local sports coverage just now plummeted. Good luck to Rasizer and Legewold. I hope they latch on somewhere.

TheElusiveKyleOrton · 02-26-2009, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaylore

It's extremely unfortunate. The Post is too liberal and their Broncos coverage sucks dick compared to the News. Lee Rasizer and Jeff Legwold were some of the best writers we've had since Schefter was in town. Now we get to read the ramblings of Jim Armstrong, Woody Paige and the vomit that spews from the cess pool of Mark Kiszla. Oh joy.

Fair enough, but I think at least one of the two (either Rasizer or Legwold) will be joining the Post staff.

Kaylore · 02-26-2009, 11:48 AM

Can we ditch Kizla and that girl that everyone seems to know?

theAPAOps5 · 02-26-2009, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaylore

Can we ditch Kizla and that girl that everyone seems to know?

Lindsay (insert last name) is levels above Jim Armstrong and Kizla. I want to punch Armstrong in the face on a daily basis. Mostly because of his radio show. Every time he says "He Gone" I find a deep burning contempt in my gut.

Crushaholic · 02-26-2009, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by montrose

Sad day for those of us who work in media.

Absolutely. I have a degree in journalism, but I haven't thought to venture into that realm BECAUSE of situations such as this. Times are changing, and I need to see if I can adapt to new situations. I took a couple of classes on web design and the workings of a webpage, but I need to learn a lot more if I am to be proficient in that area. I truly feel for you guys and gals already in the media...

SonOfLe-loLang · 02-26-2009, 11:53 AM

Stupidest thing the newspaper industry did was not charge for online content. They didnt think it would catch on.

theAPAOps5 · 02-26-2009, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SonOfLe-loLang

Stupidest thing the newspaper industry did was not charge for online content. They didnt think it would catch on.

A lot of other papers are finding that charging for online content doesn't work when most the internet is free already.

02-26-2009, 11:13 AM	#1
TheDave Sauced... Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 15,120	Rocky Mountain News Folding... ...Tomorrow. Just heard it on the Radio... Couldn't Find a link yet

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02-26-2009, 11:14 AM	#2
TheDave Sauced... Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 15,120	http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_11791798 Found one... A nearly 150-year publishing run will end Friday as the Rocky Mountain News prints its final edition. The News becomes the latest casualty in an industry stricken by a spiraling decline in newspaper economics. News owner E.W. Scripps announced today that the paper will shut down after efforts to find a buyer failed. More than 200 newsroom staffers will face their last deadlines and file their final stories after enduring months of nervous uncertainty over the News' future. Known familiarly as the Rocky, the newspaper founded in 1859 was Colorado's first. It's believed to be the longest-running business in Denver. Despite a 2001 joint operating agreement between the News and The Denver Post intended to cut costs and keep both papers in business, Scripps no longer could absorb financial losses at the News. The News lost $16 million in 2008. Scripps said Dec. 4 that it would put the News up for sale, and then would consider closing it if a qualified buyer didn't surface. "The operating conditions have become increasingly difficult in Denver," Scripps chief executive Rich Boehne said in December. "Cash flow...is no longer enough to support the Rocky, leaving us with no choice but to seek an exit." Loss of subscribers, declining advertising revenue, the rise of the Internet and general economic weakness all have contributed to the plunging fortunes of newspapers, particularly those that compete in the same cities for shares of shrinking income. "While it is disappointing that the Rocky will no longer be servicing the community, it should come as no surprise that newspapers are under increasing pressure from multiple channels of information that have scattered the mass audience newspapers once held," said Derigan Silver, an instructor of mass communications and journalism at the University of Denver. "Unfortunately, not all of these new outlets have the ... ability to build social capital the way traditional newspapers do," Silver said. Scores of News supporters had written letters and posted Internet appeals to keep the paper alive. But none of the efforts had the financial support to attract Scripps' attention. Since 2005, Scripps has closed newspapers in the two-paper markets of Cincinnati, Albuquerque and Birmingham, Ala. Nationally, only about 10 cities still have major, competing dailies, including Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C. Owners of major papers including the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune and Philadelphia Inquirer recently have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after advertising revenue failed to keep pace with expenses and debt obligations. Seattle Post-Intelligencer publisher Hearst Corp. has put the newspaper up for sale, and will either close it or switch to an Internet-only publication if a deal does not materialize. Hearst also announced that it may sell or close the San Francisco Chronicle unless it can achieve "significant" cuts in newsroom jobs and expenses. The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press recently announced that they will offer home delivery just three days a week, leaving readers with smaller newsstand editions or Internet coverage on other days. The Detroit News is owned by MediaNews Group, publisher of The Denver Post. Dozens of newspapers have cut budgets and trimmed staffing in an effort to survive the transition to new publishing models. The Denver Newspaper Agency, which runs the combined business operations of The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News, recently negotiated an 11.7 percent cut in wages and benefits from its union workers in a quest for $18 million in concessions. Similarly, MediaNews Group received about $2 million in givebacks from Denver Post union employees. Spending on newspaper ads fell 9.4 percent in 2007 to $42 billion, and dropped an additional 17 percent in the first three quarters of 2008, the worst plunge in at least 37 years, according to the Newspaper Association of America. Collectively, U.S. newspapers haven't recorded a gain in advertising since early 2006. Classified advertising revenues have been especially hard hit, down 16.5 percent from 2006 to '07, as advertisers and their customers have shifted to Web-based vehicles such as craigslist.com. "Newspaper economics these days are unprecedented," Edward Atorino, a New York-based publishing analyst with The Benchmark Co., said recently. "There hasn't been an environment like this since the Great Depression, or before."

02-26-2009, 11:20 AM	#3
HEAV Ring of Famer It's about the Team Join Date: May 2003 Location: The Ville Posts: 12,077 Adopt-a-Bronco: Brian Dawkins	Damn shame! I love the RMN it's better than the post in my opinon. I'm going to miss it.

02-26-2009, 11:20 AM	#4
alkemical Guerrilla Ontologist rorrim\|mirror Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Future Posts: 42,696 Adopt-a-Bronco: Prima Materia	http://www.rockymountainnews.com/new...-a-rocky-road/

02-26-2009, 11:22 AM	#5
TheDave Sauced... Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 15,120	Just a sign of the times... News Papers are struggling as it is. Add to it the current economy and the disapearance of the credit market and... well... there goes that.

02-26-2009, 11:28 AM	#8
TheElusiveKyleOrton www.dailydickpunch.com @RMoneyBadger Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Steamboat Springs Posts: 9,776 Adopt-a-Bronco: "Debo" Franklin	I prefer the Post to the News in almost every way, but it's a shame to see Denver turn into a one-paper town. The owner of the Post is a total schrutebag.

02-26-2009, 11:29 AM	#9
Rohirrim Partisan Human Cannonball Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Twixt Hell & Highwater Posts: 48,843	In twenty years will any newspaper exist?

02-26-2009, 11:36 AM	#13
wolf754life Bleed Orange and Blue more scoring + more tackling = $$$ Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,776	finally, good riddance, it was a rag anyways.

02-26-2009, 11:37 AM	#14
titan Perennial Pro-bowler Fan of Old School Football Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 963 Adopt-a-Bronco: None	I remember seeing an episode on Death Valley Days as a kid on the founding of the Rocky Mtn News - sad to see it fold. I've subscribed to both the Post and RMN for years - RMN is the favorite in our house. One less source for Bronco info.

02-26-2009, 11:37 AM	#15
Kaylore 6-37, Raider fans. Yummy birds and snow! Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ceti Alpha V Posts: 41,061 Adopt-a-Bronco: Wesley Duke	It's extremely unfortunate. The Post is too liberal and their Broncos coverage sucks dick compared to the News. Lee Rasizer and Jeff Legwold were some of the best writers we've had since Schefter was in town. Now we get to read the ramblings of Jim Armstrong, Woody Paige and the vomit that spews from the cess pool of Mark Kiszla. Oh joy.

02-26-2009, 11:39 AM	#16
montrose Ring of Famer Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 6,095 Adopt-a-Bronco: VP John Elway	Sad day for those of us who work in media.

02-26-2009, 11:41 AM	#17
eddie mac Ireland's No1 Bronco Eddie Mac 87 gone but never forgott Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: IRELAND Posts: 15,572 Adopt-a-Bronco: Rod Smith	Truly gutted about this especially losing Lee Rasizer and Jeff Legwold as writers.

02-26-2009, 11:43 AM	#19
theAPAOps5 A new beginning! Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Denver Posts: 26,058 Adopt-a-Bronco: Watermock - RIP	Denver Broncos local sports coverage just now plummeted. Good luck to Rasizer and Legewold. I hope they latch on somewhere.

02-26-2009, 11:48 AM	#21
Kaylore 6-37, Raider fans. Yummy birds and snow! Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ceti Alpha V Posts: 41,061 Adopt-a-Bronco: Wesley Duke	Can we ditch Kizla and that girl that everyone seems to know?

02-26-2009, 11:53 AM	#24
SonOfLe-loLang Young Buck Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 13,228 Adopt-a-Bronco: Thunder (RIP)	Stupidest thing the newspaper industry did was not charge for online content. They didnt think it would catch on.