Houston Chronicle for sale?

Have heard some rumors. Anyone else hearing anything?

 

Unless the paper is in financial trouble, I wouldn't believe it.

 

Hearst style is to dump its paper when its in a competitive market, not when it's got the upper hand. Still, for the right price, I'm sure they would listen. It's not like the HouChron is regarded as one of the nation's premier outfits.

 

That's a damn shame too. Houston is a huge city with a hell of a lot going on. There's no reason for that not to be one of the top 10 papers in the U.S. (even if it gets hot enough there in the summer to melt steel)

 

I doubt it. Hearst is privately held, has a monopoly in Houston, also owns Beaumont and San Antonio as well as some farther-away Texas papers, and just invested a ton of money in helping Singleton buy a bunch of KR papers from McClatchy. Selling makes zero sense.

 

Can we get a source on this rumor?

 

Yep. That's true.

Dallas' and SA's papers pretty much make the Chronicle look like a laughingstock.

 

Why is it bad?

 

Here is one example.
The Chronicle ran a graphic with the times, dates and places for the state championship football games all week. It included the six-man state championship games. Only problem was, the six-man state championship games were played Dec. 16.

 

It's more than just the details. It doesn't help that Houston is a poor sports town, with low levels of interest for its pro teams, zero-interest colleges and, for Texas, less passion for high schools. The main columnist is not that great, and the overall look is old and uninspiring. The readership doesn't seem to demand much better, either. But it would take a lot for Hearst to give up a one-paper metro market.

 

Bingo. The sports interest is so apathetic here. I don't know what the deal is, or why, but Dallas and SA puts us to shame. Hell, Austin deserves pro teams more than we do.

 

Why would a big city like Houston only be able to support one paper? How does a city that large become a one-paper town?

(I ask in general, not specifically about Houston, but feel free to talk about Houston if it's an instructive example.)