Sun Media to opt out of Canadian Press - do its own "content-sharing"

Unfortunately, Sun Media couldn't organize the proverbial one-car funeral

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090312.RCANADIANPRESS12/TPStory/Business

Sun Media Corp. has given notice that it plans to pull out of The Canadian Press national news organization, the first major newspaper group to do so since CanWest Global Communication Corp. dropped out in 2007.

More than three dozen Sun Media papers, owned by Quebecor Inc., will instead focus on sharing material through an existing in-house news group called Quebecor Media Agency, which will be expanded and get more resources.

Sun Media's membership in CP expires in June, 2010, but members must give the organization at least one year's notice that they plan to leave.

CP executive editor Gerry Arnold played down the departure of Sun Media, noting that the news agency already plans to change its co-operative structure so there will no longer be members by the time Sun Media leaves. It will instead operate as a business with equity owners, including some investors from outside the news media.

 

Quebecor spokeswoman Isabelle Dessureault said the millions of dollars now spent on the CP membership will be redeployed within the company. But she said the company will consider working with CP in some form, once the co-operative has transformed into its new structure.

Redeployed? Insert sarcastic laugh/comment here, along with an obligatory eye-roll.

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Yeah, like that.