Ann Arbor

Goodness.

Not to put an odd movie analogy out there, but this almost feels like Star Wars, Episode III where Palpatine orders the execution of Order 66 or whatever it was, and they show jedi falling one by one. Not even the children (the small papers) are safe. Just seems like every day there's a new wrinkle to this mess.

 

Will the reporters get to stay on and work for AnnArbor.com, travel, write features, etc?

 

Like Moddy, I had a near-miss with Ann Arbor a few years ago.

From their story, it's a little more complex than just stopping publication altogether:

AnnArbor.com also will produce a twice-a-week newspaper, published on Thursday and Sunday and a total-market coverage product once a week.

I hope this model will work for them.

 

One of the articles said the employees can apply for a job at the new company.

 

That sure is nice of 'em.

 

Yep. Btw, The Ann Arbor News has a no layoff policy. Or maybe it is Booth. Either way, this is a new company, so the old policy is gone.

 

It's actually Advance, which owns Booth.
But with it ceasing to be a daily paper, that policy is not applicable.

 

I don't understand what that means.

Are they half-assing the Thursday and Sunday print publications and working real hard on the "total market product" day?

 

I'm wondering if that means a combined Sunday paper with some of the other papers in the area owned by that company?

 

The total market product will probably be a free paper dropped on the doorstep with the grocery ads.

 

They hired a burned-out pizza manager, of all things, as a part-timer in sports, then put up with a ridiculous learning curve. One of the sports copy editors said once, "I looked at this and thought, 'Does he know what the hell he's doing?' And then I thought, 'No, probably not.'" He was right.

But they stuck with me and I hope I gave back what I received. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity I had there and for the friendships I made. I left 11 years ago, but there isn't a week that goes by where I don't hear from people who worked there and/or start telling the old stories.

It's a sad, sad day, much sadder than being put on furlough. I just hope the dominos falling all around our paper keep falling away, not toward us.

Godspeed to all my friends there.

 

Our blog has commentary if you're interested.

http://thedailyderelict.blogspot.com/2009/03/breaking-news-ann-arbor-news-to-close.html