Seattle area daily folds

[Frank_Ridgeway]

King County Journal to close

By ANDREA JAMES
P-I REPORTER

The King County Journal will put out its last issue on Jan. 21, the newspaper's new owners told employees at a meeting Thursday.

Black Press Ltd., a Canadian publisher, bought the Journal and its nine sister publications in November from Kent-based Horvitz Newspapers Inc. for an undisclosed amount. The new owners had told employees that crucial mistakes made under the paper's old management, particularly a decision to cut the marketing budget, had sealed its fate.

Circulation of the Journal, which has been losing money since 1994, has fallen to 39,100. It is the region's fifth-largest daily paper.




http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/297601_journal28ww.html

 

[Idaho]

That sucks. Bad.

 

[Angola!]

Why would they buy the chain and then fold the biggest paper? I don't understand why someone would pay a bunch of money so they can fold a paper.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

Why would they buy the chain and then fold the biggest paper? I don't understand why someone would pay a bunch of money so they can fold a paper.

Maybe they wanted the profitable weeklies and the daily was bringing them down. Black is the same guy who bought the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and the Akron Beacon-Journal.

The daily always had a marginal existence. The Kent and Bellevue dailies combined, I think, in the 1990s.

 

[sportschick]

Why would they buy the chain and then fold the biggest paper? I don't understand why someone would pay a bunch of money so they can fold a paper.

Maybe they wanted the profitable weeklies and the daily was bringing them down. Black is the same guy who bought the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and the Akron Beacon-Journal.

The daily always had a marginal existence. The Kent and Bellevue dailies combined, I think, in the 1990s.

I'm sure there's also some sort of positive tax thing for closing an unprofitable division. Still, it sucks giant donkey balls.

 

[DyePack]

King County Journal to close

By ANDREA JAMES
P-I REPORTER

The King County Journal will put out its last issue on Jan. 21, the newspaper's new owners told employees at a meeting Thursday.

Black Press Ltd., a Canadian publisher, bought the Journal and its nine sister publications in November from Kent-based Horvitz Newspapers Inc. for an undisclosed amount. The new owners had told employees that crucial mistakes made under the paper's old management, particularly a decision to cut the marketing budget, had sealed its fate.

Yes, because we know current newspaper management, across the board, is impeccable.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

DyePack, it was really never a successful business, did everything on the cheap, did not make a profit for many years. Hard to believe the current owners screwed up a viable product in two months.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/274538_horvitz20.html

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003072505_horvitz20.html

 

[jackandcoke]

Too bad to hear. Some excellent people at that paper.

The problems had little to do with Black, as I understand it. The previous owner made a string of poor decisions that screwed up the paper beyond repair.

 

[DyePack]

DyePack, it was really never a successful business, did everything on the cheap, did not make a profit for many years. Hard to believe the current owners screwed up a viable product in two months.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/274538_horvitz20.html

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003072505_horvitz20.html

Lots of places are making a sow's ear out of a silk purse as we speak.

Just off the top of my head: Tribune Co. and L.A. Times. Gannett and the Indianapolis Star. Dallas. Baltimore. Lee and some of its recent acquisitions.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

Doesn't seem to apply here, however.

 

[luckyducky]

Too bad to hear. Some excellent people at that paper.

The problems had little to do with Black, as I understand it. The previous owner made a string of poor decisions that screwed up the paper beyond repair.

Big news at two papers in three days that hits close to home at my shop, plus a before Christmas scale-back at another. Damn, it's a tough Christmas/New Years for these folks.

 

[Angola!]

Too bad to hear. Some excellent people at that paper.

The problems had little to do with Black, as I understand it. The previous owner made a string of poor decisions that screwed up the paper beyond repair.

Two papers in three days that hit close to home at my shop. Damn, it's a tough Christmas/New Years for these folks.

Did another paper fold or something?

 

[playthrough]

Man, you are so right about Gannett and the Indy Star, DyePack.

And that's the last time I'll use "right" and "DyePack" in the same post.

Carry on.

 

[DyePack]

Man, you are so right about Gannett and the Indy Star, DyePack.

And that's the last time I'll use "right" and "DyePack" in the same post.

Carry on.

 

[playthrough]

I was agreeing with you, you know.

Ah, I kinda miss the old Intellivision.

 

[cougargirl]

Why would they buy the chain and then fold the biggest paper? I don't understand why someone would pay a bunch of money so they can fold a paper.

Maybe they wanted the profitable weeklies and the daily was bringing them down. Black is the same guy who bought the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and the Akron Beacon-Journal.

The daily always had a marginal existence. The Kent and Bellevue dailies combined, I think, in the 1990s.

Damn. My biggest fear is that the small papers - daily and semi-weekly, in particular - geared toward community journalism are going to be the ones to survive the identity crisis that the industry is going through.

Oh, and nice shoes, sportschick. Except those strappy things might hurt someone. Or is that the point? :D

 

[sportschick]

Why would they buy the chain and then fold the biggest paper? I don't understand why someone would pay a bunch of money so they can fold a paper.

Maybe they wanted the profitable weeklies and the daily was bringing them down. Black is the same guy who bought the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and the Akron Beacon-Journal.

The daily always had a marginal existence. The Kent and Bellevue dailies combined, I think, in the 1990s.

Damn. My biggest fear is that the small papers - daily and semi-weekly, in particular - geared toward community journalism are going to be the ones to survive the identity crisis that the industry is going through.

Oh, and nice shoes, sportschick. Except those strappy things might hurt someone. Or is that the point? :D

That's exactly the point. :D

 

[Seattle Hurler]

This closing had been expected. The previous owner, Peter Horvitz, put the paper up for sale in June and told employees then that he intended to sell it to a company that would keep all of the properties intact. It appears he could not find a buyer interested in keeping the daily going.

The biggest mistake Horvitz made -- among many -- was to merge two distinct dailies into one paper. Though they are right next to each other, there is no natural connection between the east side and the south part of King County. When I worked there in sports, it was nightmare trying to keep both sides of our coverage area happy.

I feel really bad for folks I used to work with. Some have been offered jobs with the expanded weeklies, but others will be looking for work. It is no fun to be looking for a job in this business when you don't have one.

 

[shotglass]

Man, you are so right about Gannett and the Indy Star, DyePack.

And that's the last time I'll use "right" and "DyePack" in the same post.

Carry on.

Uh, no. You can't be the cool, new DyePack and then get all defensive when somebody gives you ****.

Nope. Checked the rule book, and it's right there. You can't do it.

 

[DyePack]

Posting a Kool-Aid graphic is defensive?