Free Republic

Brian Tierney, a onetime critic of the Philadelphia Inquirer who wound up buying the paper, is determined to take his new property in a different direction. "We don't need a Jerusalem bureau," he says. "What we need are more people in the South Jersey bureau." But six months after this advertising and public relations executive gained control of a once-proud newspaper that routinely ranked among the country's top 10, he is considering layoffs of as much as 30 percent of an already reduced newsroom staff. That would mean even fewer journalists covering those New Jersey suburbs and just about everywhere...

Guild authorizes strike at Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News Members of the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike against the new owner of the city's two biggest newspapers. An estimated 500 of the union's 1,000 members who work for The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News attended a Guild meeting Thursday where leaders talked about how little progress has been made in negotiations. ... The key issues are a proposal to freeze contributions to the Guild's pension plan and take over control of the pension fund, and a demand that the company be able to lay...

NEW YORK Embroiled in difficult negotiations with the new owners of the two Philadelphia dailies, the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia has called for a federal mediator to be sent to the talks -- and this apparently will happen. Nonetheless, cutbacks and layoffs appear in the offing at the former Knight Ridder papers. The guild spelled out the situation in a message to its members, which was first posted at the Romenesko site. It is reproduced below in its entirety. *** The Guild Monday asked for a federal mediator to help reach a settlement with the Company on a new...

Proving that local owners are under the same pressure that big newspaper chains face, one of the new owners of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News told employees this morning the papers are set to report one of the worst declines in ad revenue in its history. Brian Tierney, publisher of both papers, issued a memo to employees outlining the tough environment facing newspapers after meeting with several union representatives yesterday. The guild and management are currently negotiating new contracts. In the memo, Tierney explained that advertising revenue for July and August was down compared to the same months last...

McClatchy Co. is selling The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News for $562 million to a group of local investors who hope to reverse circulation declines by emphasizing local news and doing more with the Internet. The two Philadelphia papers are being bought by a group led by advertising executive Brian Tierney and Bruce Toll, co-founder of luxury home builder Toll Brothers Inc. The papers are among 12 currently owned by Knight Ridder that McClatchy plans to sell. McClatchy and the investor group said in a statement that they intend to complete the deal around the same time that...

Onex Corp., a Toronto investment firm that is among the six known bidders for The Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News, has floated plans for deep cuts in the newsrooms at both papers, according to Teamsters union leaders. Onex representatives have visited the city at least three times, meeting with publisher Joe Natoli, other newspaper executives and Teamsters leaders since the McClatchy Co. put the papers up for sale last month. McClatchy plans to buy the newspapers' owner, Knight Ridder Inc., this summer, but the Sacramento, Calif.-based chain is selling the newspapers in Philadelphia and 10 other cities. Bids for the...

NEW YORK As a collection of controversial cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad circulates online and through some European publications, prompting numerous acts of violence abroad, nearly all U.S. newspapers have chosen not to publish the cartoons. Although most American papers have covered the issue, with many running Page One stories, most contend the cartoons are too offensive to run, and can be properly reported through descriptions. While some have linked to the images on the Web, others are considering publishing one or more of them next week. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Inquirer, day after complaining that The Associated Press should at...

The Inquirer and Daily News have announced plans to cut some 100 writers and reporters along with other newsroom employees.That is 16 percent of staff. Falling advertising revenues and circulation are blamed. Actually, sheer stupidity and arrogance could account for a good part of the declining circulation. I have tried over the past months to save the Inquirer, but alas, the left-wing, liberal commissars there have refused to follow my advice and accept my aid.They continue to preach to the choir.Anything and everything bad is "Bush's fault."Tony Auth is even calling Katrina "George's Hurricane."Inquirer editor Amanda Bennett said, "as long...

The rumor mill had it right. Buyouts aimed at reducing staffing at the Philadelphia Inquirer and its Knight Ridder stablemate The Daily News were announced this morning. In a memo to staff Tuesday, Daily News Editor Michael Days called it "a lousy day." He said full-time Guild-covered employees were eligible. "The goal is to reduce our staff by about 25 employees before the end of the year," he wrote. "The Inky's goal is about 75 staffers.

Philadelphia Newspapers Inc., publisher of The Inquirer and Daily News, said today it plans to eliminate 16 percent of newsroom jobs through buyouts or layoffs, blaming falling advertising revenues and circulation. The job cuts, similar to actions taken by other major newspapers in recent years, will reduce the number of Inquirer reporters and other newsroom employees by about 75, to 425, roughly its level in the early 1980s, according to union officials at the Newspaper Guild. The Daily News aims to cut about 25 positions, reducing its newsroom to 105 people, less than half the size at its peak in...

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=2549&pag=460&dept_ID=514258 This is week 16 of our campaign to save the Inquirer and I will share with the powers-who-be at that august organization the following very welcome letter that comes from Martin Samchalk of Media.Dear Mr. Lawrence:I have been following your thoughtful efforts to save the Philadelphia Inquirer. As a subscriber for over 30 years, I have sent many letters to the Inquirer informing them how very wrong their editorials were. It was not working and I have been very dismayed at my lack of success.Last week, I came to a conclusion that by continuing to subscribe to the Inquirer,...

I recently suggested to Chris Satullo, the Inquirer's editorial page editor, that he may be able to organize a club to help biased journalists and pattern it after Alcoholics Anonymous. It appeared that he went on the wagon for a week. He even chastised his beloved Democrats for their actions on the Social Security issue. He was very reasonable and simply asked that they offer their own plan or solution to the problem. Then bang! On Sunday April 10, he had a Funky Winkerbean moment and fell noisily off the bias wagon. Tony Auth produced a hateful editorial-page cartoon lampooning...

It was a pleasant surprise to see a March 27 Inquirer editorial harshly criticizing the Democrats for failing to get serious about Social Security's financial problems. It appears that we are making headway in our crusade to save the Inquirer and the Democratic Party. The editorial states, "Democrats have nothing to fear but delusions itself. How can it be that, faced with a threat to a program that is one of their party's shining achievements, they have no plan to offer?"Go after them, Chris Satullo. Make the Democrats put up a plan that will serve America better than any the...

.In my ongoing crusade to save the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Democratic Party from extinction, I now offer tip number 6 of 21. Campaign for a flat tax. With tax day just a couple of weeks away, this is an ideal time to do it. ***How's this for an idea for a television series: Robert Blake and O.J. Simpson starring as private eyes looking for the killers of their wives? Don't laugh, it could happen.

Chris Satullo, the Inquirer's editorial page editor, on Sunday March 13, wrote a long, whimpering essay in which he insisted that the "serious journalists take duty seriously" at his newspaper. The poor guy could not understand why the readers of his paper do not take him seriously.I can supply a hint.He wrote, "The traditional standards include journalism's ethical golden rule: "Never engage in a conflict of interest, or even the appearance of a conflict, that would give reason to doubt your fairness and honesty in working in the public interest."He said, "You always have to pick up the check, you...

>Here is the fourth of 21 ideas to save the Democratic Party.Cut taxes! The Inquirer has a hard time with this one. The left-wing, liberal newspaper loves tax hikes and actually criticized the Cato Institute, the libertarian think tank that gave Fat Eddie Rendell an F when he led the charge to raise Pennsylvania's income tax.The Inquirer said he did not deserve the well-deserved dunce cap. Come on! Cooperate. We are trying to save the Democratic Party. Remember, the voters like the guys who cut taxes and who cut spending. Repeat after me, "Courage."***President Bush has nominated John R. Bolton,...

The rabid pro-Democratic Inquirer had a dim-witted idea to run 21 editorials on why to vote for John F. Kerry before the presidential election. What the Inquirer should do to save itself and its dying flock is run 21 editorials on what its party should do to survive.I am here to give advice and am tempted to quote Shakespeare's "Dick The Butcher" who said, "First thing we do, is kill all the lawyers." Both parties have too many lawyers, so that would be wholesale slaughter.The Inquirer should urge the Democrats to start fresh by getting rid of their chronic over-sexed...

The New York Times scooped the Philadelphia Inquirer on a story of which even Inky Executive Editor, Amanda Bennett, was aware. Ye gawds, Ms. Bennett was an important part of the story. The Times found it interesting that the left-wing, liberal paper had its senior editors calling former subscribers who cancelled after the bright lights at the paper decided to run a series of 21 straight "vote for John F. Kerry" editorials.The Times quoted Ms. Bennett as saying, "If the people I call say, 'Yes, I was mad at your editorial,' then the next thing I say is, 'Would you...

Q: Have you spoken with the Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee about your statements? A: I have talked to members of the committee, I'm not going to name names. (I have) spoken to most (of them). Some are traveling out of country. Q: What is your sense from them? A: The sense is once they know the facts, there is a generally favorable response. These men all know that I have voted for all the President's nominees in committee and on the floor... and we counted the number of floor statements I made during filibusters, 17 in total...

Fresh Air, October 26, 2004 · The 'Philadelphia Inquirer' is running a 21-day endorsement of Sen. John Kerry, outlining 21 reasons why voters should elect him president. Editorial page editor Chris Satullo and commentary page editor John Timpane talk about the endorsement. On the paper's op-ed page, they've invited guest commentators to write about the reasons why voters should elect Bush instead.