Fate of Rocky Mountain News to be announced

[txscoop]

Sorry if this has already been covered... but what is going to happen to Drew Litton. That guy is great.

[21]

What happens to the contents of the offices? There has to be a million tons of files and paper and photos and whatnot....who has to go through it all and clean up?   So depressing to even think about it.  All the work that just....stopped.

[Mizzougrad96]

http://www.denverpost.com/paige/ci_11796353

Interesting column, although I could have done without some of Paige's bravado.

[bdangelo]

Best of luck to all of you in Denver. Sending that last page had to be hard.

[Mizzougrad96]

Sorry if this has already been covered... but what is going to happen to Drew Litton. That guy is great.

If the Post hired just one person away from the RMN, it should have been Litton. He's the best in the business by a zillion miles and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

[ArnoldBabar]

What happens to the contents of the offices? There has to be a million tons of files and paper and photos and whatnot....who has to go through it all and clean up?   So depressing to even think about it.  All the work that just....stopped.

That's a good question. That's a lot of work -- who does it? And who decides what goes where, what's important enough to save for posterity?

[Mizzougrad96]

I hope Tracy pulls out the corporate card, racks up a $1,000 tab at Fleming's and then buys two first-class tickets back to Denver so his hat can have its own seat.

[Freelance Hack]

I went through the slideshow on the RMN's web site this morning. The photos there was very gripping. You could feel the emotion coming off the screen. I got choked up near the end.

One thing though really pissed me off -- and I apologize if this was covered on a previous page -- but if you go to e-mail the pictures to friends and colleagues, you'll get an Outlook/GMail window with a pre-populated subject line. Here's how the subject line would read:

Check out this awesome Rocky slideshow!

I understand that's a generic subject line and I'm sure the Web people had no clue they'd eventually have to post the paper's own death on its site. But that subject line just seems beyond insensitive -- no matter how unintended it was.

Am I wrong on this? Overreacting? If so, please let me know.

[Johnny Dangerously]

I went through the slideshow on the RMN's web site this morning. The photos there was very gripping. You could feel the emotion coming off the screen. I got choked up near the end.

One thing though really pissed me off -- and I apologize if this was covered on a previous page -- but if you go to e-mail the pictures to friends and colleagues, you'll get an Outlook/GMail window with a pre-populated subject line. Here's how the subject line would read:

Check out this awesome Rocky slideshow!

I understand that's a generic subject line and I'm sure the Web people had no clue they'd eventually have to post the paper's own death on its site. But that subject line just seems beyond insensitive -- no matter how unintended it was.

Am I wrong on this? Overreacting? If so, please let me know.

No. I see stuff like that all the time. Excited fonts urging you breathlessly to check out the video ... of a tragedy. I realize these are special circumstances, but as I said on another thread, attention to detail is sorely lacking at most newspaper Web sites.

In this case? Understandable. And who knows? Maybe left there intentionally by someone with a sense of gallows humor.

[Joe Williams]

I hope Tracy pulls out the corporate card, racks up a $1,000 tab at Fleming's and then buys two first-class tickets back to Denver so his hat can have its own seat.

If they were making people turn in their company IDs today, you've got to think they flicked the switch on corporate cards before some journo got crafty with his. I love the sentiment, though.

[D-Backs Hack]

Ringolsby told a story (this will out me to a few people) of how a Dallas Times-Herald reporter learned of its closing. Seems the announcement was made while sports world was at an event and a number of people came up to the reporter to offer their condolences. The T-H reporter had no idea what they were talking about because he'd been in transit and then chasing a story. One of the other well-wishers told him, "Uh, you should call your office."

He called and learned that effective immediately, he no longer had a job. Point being, no one at the T-H bothered to tell him personally.

Tracy, feel free to correct me if I mis-heard it.

Sock mentioned it, but indeed, news of the closing broke during a Cowboys game.

In my paper the next day, there was a picture of a T-H reporter in the tunnel at Texas Stadium with head in hands.

[MileHigh]

I'm in the newsroom for the last time. And it's just super sad. There is a buzz ... because people are packing up everything. There are boxes everywhere. Recycle bins.

This sucks.

If you want to e-mail me with addresses, I have LOTS of final edition papers. And there are reprints from a few years ago of the first Rocky that I can include.

Everything that was said the past 24 hours, sending these things to you guys is the least I can do.

[GlenQuagmire]

Somewhere there's a douchebag reader making this comment:

"Uh, I'm not going to pay for the final newspaper. I can get everything I want for free online."

Sadly, they're partly right.

Another comment likely to be heard:

"Where am I now going to run pictures of my son's Little League team?"

[Simon_Cowbell]

Somewhere there's a douchebag reader making this comment:

"Uh, I'm not going to pay for the final newspaper. I can get everything I want for free online."

Sadly, they're partly right.

Another comment likely to be heard:

"Where am I now going to run pictures of my son's Little League team?"

One easy revenue source, charging egotistical parents to post their kids' photos.

Just like all papers should be charging to comment on writers' blogs/message boards.

[Fredrick]

All the people out of work today. Do you just walk out of the office and have no job? Is there any paperwork or just bye bye nice to have known you?
It was a great sports page. I personlly liked it better than the Post. Top ten section gone? Fucking joke.

[MileHigh]

Paperwork, yes. Turn in all your stuff. Credit cards. Badges. Parking passes. Limited access to the floor after today.

[MileHigh]

And people will write what they want to write. It's fine. It's called opinions.

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2009/02/news_flash_rocky_mountain_news.php

"From a journalistic standpoint, the Rocky stayed head and shoulders over the USA Today Post."
Typical, bitter crap from a now forever embittered RMN staffer.
Head and shoulders over the Post? Hmmm, guess the judges in the 1999 Pulitzers disagreed, on the Columbine coverage. Or, the judges that gave the Post the "general excellence" award the last couple of years in state journo contests. Or the literally dozens of sports scoops that the Post continually beat the RMN over the head with the last few years.
Or, the...oh, never mind. It's not classy to gloat. It's even less classy to go out with sour grapes and not congratulate the winners - the place called THE DENVER POST!

[Michael Echan]

Saw the story on CNN while at the gym. My heart goes out to everyone out in Denver affected by this. I still want to get back into this business, but the police academy application I'm filling out keeps on being a smart idea. Good luck to all.

[Andy _ Kent]

A bit of honesty from Krieger as posted on the CJR:

http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/rocky_mountain_bye.php?page=all

Dave Krieger, sports columnist

Honestly? The corporate suits come in and cry their crocodile tears, then whiz on home to continue collecting their seven-figure salaries, pleased to have rid their shareholders of the albatross that was a helluva newspaper. Scripps is in the best financial shape of any newspaper company in America, save the Washington Post Co. Dean Singleton, who survives in Denver, is in far worse financial shape, in much deeper debt, but he fought for the market and Scripps didn’t. Scripps turns tail and runs because it is as committed to the public service of journalism as teenagers to this spring’s fashions. It has learned it can make more money in niche cable television channels. It has every right to make that call. It’s a free country. But the question is whether everybody left in the journalism business is simply in it to make a buck. Certainly, for a while there, it was a really good buck.

Gannett taught everyone how to make margins that were out of sight. But now that it’s a struggle, is there anybody left with the heart of a journalist? Or are they all just profiteers, happy to move on to more profitable schemes when the going gets tough? Journalism has a constitutionally protected role in our Republic. We need people in charge of it who are more than profiteers. Yes, I know. Times are tough. The old model doesn’t work. I get all that. Nevertheless. We need publishers with vision and conviction and courage and it’s beginning to look like all we have are profiteers born on third base.

Mile High, can you share with us whether anything like this was said out in the open to Boehne yesterday?

[zeke12]

That's fucking awesome work outta you, Dave.

[MileHigh]

A bit of honesty from Krieger as posted on the CJR:

http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/rocky_mountain_bye.php?page=all

Dave Krieger, sports columnist

Honestly? The corporate suits come in and cry their crocodile tears, then whiz on home to continue collecting their seven-figure salaries, pleased to have rid their shareholders of the albatross that was a helluva newspaper. Scripps is in the best financial shape of any newspaper company in America, save the Washington Post Co. Dean Singleton, who survives in Denver, is in far worse financial shape, in much deeper debt, but he fought for the market and Scripps didn’t. Scripps turns tail and runs because it is as committed to the public service of journalism as teenagers to this spring’s fashions. It has learned it can make more money in niche cable television channels. It has every right to make that call. It’s a free country. But the question is whether everybody left in the journalism business is simply in it to make a buck. Certainly, for a while there, it was a really good buck.

Gannett taught everyone how to make margins that were out of sight. But now that it’s a struggle, is there anybody left with the heart of a journalist? Or are they all just profiteers, happy to move on to more profitable schemes when the going gets tough? Journalism has a constitutionally protected role in our Republic. We need people in charge of it who are more than profiteers. Yes, I know. Times are tough. The old model doesn’t work. I get all that. Nevertheless. We need publishers with vision and conviction and courage and it’s beginning to look like all we have are profiteers born on third base.

Mile High, can you share with us whether anything like this was said out in the open to Boehne yesterday?

Yup, at the second meeting, Boehne and Contreras heard it from the assembled mob. They took it. But as Dave said, then they left. And we're here today with our boxes. They are nowhere to be seen.

[Mizzougrad96]

I agree with everything, except, he's a little too nice to Singleton, but he works for the guy now...

Krieger is always a great read.

[Tracy Ringolsby]

Mizzou grad, Krieger is one of the most active union people in Denver. I really don't know about the others.

I believe you, but what I was told by a friend at the RMN was that all columnists were exempt. Maybe Krieger was an exception.

I can assure you Krieger is one of the more active people, including a former president of the guild. Dave has a value system that is based off his beliefs, not what others want him to do to fit in. He is a credit. He also has become a fanstatic columnists, who develops feelings and opinions off putting an effort into learning about a subject, and not because he can be cute or clever at the expense or others or because he has an agenda. His hire by the Post was a tremendous move.

[MileHigh]

Consider this a reply to the many PMs I've gotten with addresses for a final copy.

If you sent it to me, consider it done and they will be in the mail next week (I'm going to Utah tonight on a previously planned trip). Offer is still open. I have tons of copies.

[daveevansedge]

I always thought Dave was perhaps the most versatile guy on the Rocky staff. And I sent him an email last night telling him so. He's excellent, and his above statement is spot-freakin' on.