Friday is the bid deadline for Rocky Mountain News (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

Denver Post ^ | January 15, 2009 | Steve Raabe

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Rocky Mountain News owner E.W. Scripps Co. said Wednesday it will accept bids for the struggling newspaper through the close of business Friday.

Scripps then will review any offers "as quickly as possible, but there's no specific timetable for completing that process," spokesman Tim King said.

Wednesday's announcement, made among increasing speculation about the future of the News, marks the first time that Scripps has set a specific deadline for dealing with the 150-year-old newspaper.

The Cincinnati-based media company had said last month that it would try to sell the News through mid-January, at which time it would explore other options that could include shutting down the paper.

Many newspaper analysts have said that the chances of selling the News are slim.

Scripps officials have said a handful of parties have expressed interest in the News, although they have released no information on the prospective buyers' identities or financial qualifications.

A handful of grass-roots appeals recently have called for the survival of the News, but they have failed to produce any public financial commitments for buyers.

Denver public-relations employment consultant Andrew Hudson this week proposed creation of a sales tax to subsidize ailing newspapers through a structure similar to the tax that supports metro Denver cultural institutions.

Reporters at the News, in an independent website, have asked supporters of the paper to write Scripps officials with appeals to keep the paper alive.

King said Wednesday that Scripps has received "dozens" of e-mails from the initiative.

The News and The Denver Post have independent newsrooms but run their advertising, circulation and business units in a joint operating agreement administered by the Denver Newspaper Agency.

Terms of the agreement give Post owner MediaNews Group the right to reject, or match, any purchase offer for the News.

snip

[abb]

Another Toe Tag coming up soon?

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ping

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http://www.nypost.com/seven/01152009/business/publishers_weakly_150266.htm
PUBLISHERS WEAKLY
MAJOR WHOLESALER WANTS MILLIONS MORE IN FEES

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1871829,00.html
A Seattle Newspaper Writes Its Own Obituary

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/396109_piweb15.html
Hearst asks P-I staff for Web site ideas

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB123197973917183829.html
Newspapers Move to Outsource Foreign Coverage
Tribune Could Close Dozens of Bureaus in Favor of Washington Post Deal; New York Daily News Signs Start-Up

http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/01/globe_to_cut_50.html
Globe to cut up to 50 jobs in newsroom

[GeorgiaDawg32]

I’ll give ‘em $5 bucks and will put that foot long sammich on hold..then I’ll hire conservative writers, drop doonesbury and watch the $$$ start rollin in..

[colorado tanker]

The Rocky's editorial page is conservative/libertarian. This is bad for Denver and may leave us only with the ultraliberal Denver Post.

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http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/towerticker/2009/01/tribune-co-weig.html
Tribune Co. weighing national, international news options

http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/2009/01/gannett-furlough-could-save-600-jobs.html
Gannett furlough could save 600 jobs

http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/01/no_more_raises_at_daily_n.php
No more raises at Daily News

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=123&aid=157001
Rival Newspaper Transformation Plans Take Shape

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003931149
Forget the Motor City: ‘Freep’ Will Not Implement Gannett Furlough

[GeorgiaDawg32]

then I’ll go international..just as soon as I go national..:)

[RandallFlagg]

A handful of grass-roots appeals recently have called for the survival of the News, but they have failed to produce any public financial commitments for buyers.

Librats seem to only be good at volunteering OTHER people's money, rather than their own. This should come as no suprise.
I'll finally never have to clean their unwanted, unasked for rags out of my driveway again. YAY!!

[abb]

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=133775
NBC Still Has About 10% of Its Time to Sell in Super Bowl

http://www.buzzmachine.com/
Magazines don’t look so slick now

[martin_fierro]

I BID

TWO (2) QUATLOOS*

[angkor]

>>>Denver public-relations employment consultant Andrew Hudson this week proposed creation of a sales tax to subsidize ailing newspapers through a structure similar to the tax that supports metro Denver cultural institutions.<<<<<

I wonder how many hack “objective journalists” would work for a government-subsidized propaganda sheet.

[Oatka]

Librats seem to only be good at volunteering OTHER people's money, rather than their own.

You beat me to it, as that was my first reaction - "You want me to risk MY money?"

[LdSentinal]

The Rocky's editorial page is conservative/libertarian.

Then why did they endorse uber-liberal Ritter back in 2006?

Why didn't they endorse McCain/Palin and Schaeffer in 2008?

[pallis]

Conservatives don’t read liberal trash, and liberals don’t read. Newspapers are a victim of their own political ignorance.

[abb]

Is there a link on that story? I want to read that one! Unbelieveable!

[abb]

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTBiMTRmZjBiYjdmYjc0NjhlMjEyNzMwNmVkZDM4MTE=&w=MA==
The Coming Journalism Bailout

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003931166
Media General Looks to Sell ‘Daily Progress’ Building

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003931141
‘Globe’ Union: Management Can Go Cut Themselves

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003930993
Detroit Papers Open Talks with Unions Over Job Cuts

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003930982
Is Gannett Planning to Drop AP and Form Own Content Service?

[SaxxonWoods]

You’ve got it right tanker, this is a drag. I wish that stinking Post was the one going under. The Rocky is miles better even though it has slipped and does have some real woohoos on staff, like Johnson and Griego.

[abb]

The Post won’t be far behind. Another year or so should do it in, too.

[abb]

http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20090115/wall-street-beats-up-sumner-redstone-rupert-murdoch-a-bit-more-downgrades-for-viacom-news-corp/
Wall Street Beats Up Sumner Redstone, Rupert Murdoch: Cuts Estimates for Viacom, News Corp.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aQ6dMsLKZ0Kc
Ad Spending Last Year Dropped the Most Since 2001

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/14/AR2009011403375.html
TV Over the Web: Still a Fuzzy Picture

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/01/15/news/wyoming/62-layoff.txt
Casper Star-Tribune lays off 15

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=98451
Writers Guild Pushes For PBS Funding

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http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/business/5823516-41/story.csp
R-G requests benefits, wage concessions from workers

http://www.newspaperdeathwatch.com/
Boston Globe Thinks Big Online

http://newsafternewspapers.blogspot.com/
Another gathering at API, low key this time

http://recoveringjournalist.typepad.com/recovering_journalist/
Doing Journalism Differently