The Rocky Mountain News publishes its last paper tomorrow.
Rich Boehne, chief executive officer of Rocky-owner Scripps, broke the news to the staff at noon today, ending nearly three months of speculation over the paper's future.
"People are in grief," Editor John Temple said a noon news conference.
But he was intent on making sure the Rocky's final edition, which would include a 52-page wraparound section, was as special as the paper itself.
"This is our last shot at this," Temple said at a second afternoon gathering at the newsroom. "This morning (someone) said it's like playing music at your own funeral. It's an opportunity to make really sweet sounds or blow it. I'd like to go out really proud."
Boehne told staffers that the Rocky was the victim of a terrible economy and an upheaval in the newspaper industry.
"Denver can't support two newspapers any longer," Boehne told staffers, some of whom cried at the news. "It's certainly not good news for you, and it's certainly not good news for Denver...
It is my memory ( And Roach correct me if I am wrong) That the RMN was the more Conservative of the two newspapers in Denver though it was IMHO ( again I haven't lived in Denver since 1995 and things change) the better of the two papers. I don't buy that Denver can't support two papers and I think this a very bad and sad thing. News media shouldn't have a monopoly in a city the size of Omaha like the OWH does let alone a city the size of Denver. Sad day.
But on the plus side... credit to Ellen and Dan on Newshounds and Daily Finance It sounds as if Rupert's world has hit ahrd times...
For News Corp. (NWS) Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch, all of the news lately has been bad.
His long time right-hand man Peter Chernin reportedly is leaving his role as company president, and his daughter Elisabeth turned down a spot on News Corp's board because it would have required her to sever ties with a television production company she has spent seven years building.
Investors are growing tired of Murdoch. His $5 billion purchase of Dow Jones & Co. was not about creating shareholder value. It was about gaining political influence. The offer to the Bancroft family, which largely stopped caring about Dow Jones generations ago, was so off the charts that they would have been insane to turn him down. Since then, News Corp has been working feverishly to cut costs through layoffs.
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