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RIP Stephens Media

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Inky_Wretch, Feb 19, 2015.

  1. Inky_Wretch

    Inky_Wretch Well-Known Member

  2. Twirling Time

    Twirling Time Well-Known Member

    GateHouse in sheep's clothing, apparently.

    Get your furlough calendar ready!
     
  3. Twirling Time

    Twirling Time Well-Known Member

    Here's the announcement.
     

    Attached Files:

  4. JayFarrar

    JayFarrar Well-Known Member

    I believe that means that Stephens isn't selling its chunk of ownership in BANG or whatever it is called.

    They also have a stake in another company and it isnt clear what happens there.
     
  5. Matt Stephens

    Matt Stephens Well-Known Member

    I'm guessing Las Vegas immediately becomes New Media's biggest publication?
     
  6. Inky_Wretch

    Inky_Wretch Well-Known Member

    I guess the biggest question is what happens with that bastard lovechild in northwest Arkansas between Stephens and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
     
  7. Desk_dude

    Desk_dude Member

    Gatehouse's editing and design is done in Austin.
     
  8. MileHigh

    MileHigh Moderator Staff Member

    Worked at Stephens properties for a couple of years in the last century. Not a fan. Then again, need to think of any corporates I was ever a fan of. I guess Knight Ridder.
     
  9. Twirling Time

    Twirling Time Well-Known Member

    The Review-Journal story I read said the NWA papers are not part of the sale. I guess WEHCO will buy them out separately.
     
  10. murphyc

    murphyc Well-Known Member

    My relatively brief time with Stephens about a dozen years ago wasn't all that positive.
    I was at a small weekly at the time, competing against a daily Stephens paper. The lieutenant at our police department stopped by one day and asked why our boss had a for sale sign at his house. We were stunned and asked our boss. He admitted he was moving and selling the paper. One potential buyer wanted to do payments, while the other was offering cash. He took the cash offer from Stephens. The longtime publisher of the daily paper thus became our boss.
    When the Stephens suits came to town and gave their "everything is so wonderful" speech, I told them the big fear around town was Stephens was either going to shut us down (our paper had been around for nearly 120 years by this point) since we were the competition, or make us the weekly subsection of the daily. I told them they needed to make me the editor and let the paper continue doing what it had been doing under our previous owner. That way, the town would see it wasn't as bad as it seemed. To my surprise, they agreed.
    Only problem: I kept all my old duties, plus most of the duties my boss had been handling, for just a smidge more pay. Oh, and my new boss was even more of a bastard than I thought. He penned a column to our readers talking about how great the changes (new page sizes, new printers and more) were and how the new owners were deeply committed to serving the community, etc. Then he told me to put my name on it. I refused.
    Fast forward about nine months. Between the dual jobs and my mom dying of cancer, I'd had enough. My boss sifted through the applications and showed me the resumes of the finalists. Keep in mind the job entailed a ton of writing and photography, in addition to editing a young reporter's work. One applicant was far less qualified than the others. The only newspaper experience this guy had was drawing cartoons. No writing, photography or editing experience at all. Guess which guy was hired to replace me?
     
  11. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member


    Hope they got some good cartoons out of the deal.
     
    murphyc likes this.
  12. Twirling Time

    Twirling Time Well-Known Member

    I've been told by a GateHouse veteran that Stephens layout people's days are over. By personal experience, that will be a massive improvement.
     
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