Keep an eye/ear out for Tampa

And you're gonna love your new delivery person!

 

The current speculation -- and that's all that it is at this point -- from many people inside 200 Parker Street, as well as more than a few knowledgeable people on the outside, is that the Tribune will become a Sunday-only, magazine-style newspaper, with all breaking news going directly to the Web.

The timing supposedly is pegged to the Super Bowl, which will be in Tampa this year. Once the game is done -- as well as the attendant advertising (because the Tribune is the "official newspaper of the Bucs") -- so will the daily paper.

There are several variations on this speculation: keeping a Wednesday edition (because of the food section), or staying five days a week (dropping Monday and Tuesday) except during football season (for Bucs coverage), but the one consistent factor is that the Tampa Tribune no longer will be a daily paper very soon.

Hope they're wrong. But I don't think so.

 

I'd give that a Wow.

 

For that, I might resubscribe.

 

That was exactly what I heard, minus the Sunday paper.

What I heard was all online, but having a Sunday paper would make more sense.

I give the place three years tops...

 

The Sunday paper is still a cash cow. In fact, it's paying most of the bills. And they've just launched a TV and radio campaign -- "Get the Sunday Tampa Tribune ... it's not Sunday without the newspaper ... etc." -- so its demise seems unlikely.

 

Who knew the weekly community papers were actually ahead of the curve, not behind?

 

My guess is the Denver Post will buy the RMN and shut it down and I'm guessing the SP Times will do the same thing to Tampa.

 

See, you're assuming you'll have a job the next day.

Suddenly, 300 full-time employees will have been converted into a staff of three supervisors overseeing the independent contractors hired to throw papers once a week.

 

The Times won't have to spend a dime to do it. The Tribune is doing just fine at putting itself out of business.

 

That's basically the same plan that has been floated for some of the Scripps Howard newspapers such as Memphis.
Dropping some delivery days and enjoy the savings of only running the press five days a week, fewer people in circulation, and etc.
It will happen sooner rather than later. Just be prepared.
The only good news is that in terms of newsroom staff, if you print five days a week, you'll still have to have a decent sized staff.
The big cuts come in circulation and production.