Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

Goodbye Rocky

In this era of severe recession, newspapers are getting hammered. Rocky Mountain News, a 157 year old institution at Denver, Co published its last edition today. This video is as poignant it can get. These are real people with real families who did their best, but somehow it was not enough. The newspaper didn't do well for a year or so, and the owner EW Scripps put it up for sale. EW Scripps as a media company is not doing well in this economy. Unfortunately they could not find a buyer within the stipulated four weeks. Today Rocky Mountain News is history..

 

How about bailing out these real folks?….

 

 


24 comments

  1. so I think there is more to this one than the current economy.

    But collect newspapers while they still print them, at any rate (I’ve been collecting interesting ones for years).  My children may never buy one, and my six year old almost definitely won’t.  I have been expecting them to go the way of the spat key for a long time, and nothing has happened to change my view of that.  They will linger as a class of publication for a long time, but in ever-diminishing circles.

  2. Hollede

    that we are seeing a huge transformation of information. I suspect that we will begin to see “plastic paper” soon and that will help the huge waste and cost of ink and paper and distribution and…well, money for newspapers. However, I suspect we are seeing the beginning of the end of the paper paper, and I know that saddens many.

    I also agree that the internet will lead to a democratization of information and opinion and interaction unlike the world has ever seen before. This will change things as much or more than the printing press.

    We live in interesting times.

  3. HappyinVT

    Our circulation has dropped by about 25% in the last year (the time I’ve worked there).  The paper has gotten smaller because we’ve cut the number of days classified are run and because retail ads are down because no one is advertising.

    We’ve had two rounds of lay offs as well as a forced week-long furlough for everyone including the publisher.  We’re making money but it is down considerably.  I don’t see things ever getting back to the way they were; more people are getting their news online; and even if retail advertising does come back as the economy does people who stopped getting the paper will have found other methods of getting their news.

Comments are closed.