After 150 years, Rocky Mtn News is done.

[crazylev]

Aside from dwindling ad revenue for print, add a terrible economy.

This problem began long ago when, for some odd reason, newspapers and media gave away their product for free. I think the logic was no one would pay for something on this thing called the internet. The mantra became free or cheap.

To this day the only paper that I know of that charges a fee for the full online version of their new is the Wall Street Journal. Still you can see most of their stories free too.

I have found through my own business experiences that if you give a service or product to someone for free, thinking "yeah, we will eventually start charging or raise our rates", your are just fooling yourself. It just doesn't happen.

If companies are going to stay in business, they have to make money. There's still demand for good news and information, but it is changing formats. I personaly like being able to sit in a chair with a hard copy of a newspaper or magazine.

There are thousands of specialty forums like this one that I'm willing to bet if the owners said we are now going to charge $10 a year subscription, most of us would pay that, because we like this place, and where else would you find such incredible information from every corner of the world. (I may have opened a can of worms).

But then again, you have to think about the cost of running a business: running servers, maintainence, back up etc.

There is no crime in making money, but for some reason the world is of the mindset that if we give it away at first, then we will make money. You will run out of operating capital before that happens.

Jonathan

[jimmini]

I guess I am cold hearted.BUT
I am sure glade the government did not use our tax $$$ to bail them out.
Now maybe the Denver post will make it.
Remember only the strong survive.UNLESS the government interferes.

[hampstead38]

The reality is that newspapers have enjoyed a very successful business model that as of 2005 was generating profit margins of 20 percent, double that of other other Fortune 500 businesses. And like many businesses (*cough* automakers *cough*) they made some lousy decisions. They became management heavy, burdened by onerous union contracts and they were slow adaptors to the new media. And like all businesses that make lousy decisions, they have to pay the consequence up to and including failure. That's just what happens when businesses get heavy, slow and dumb... unless, of course, the government decides they are "too big to fail."

[Gene]

Originally Posted by hampstead38

burdened by onerous union contracts

Journalists have never made big money and without unions would make even less.

Gene

[centennialman]

I couldn't bring myself to read the last edition of the "Rocky" yesterday and just finished 3 hours of reading it from front to back this morning. A flood of memories washed over me as I recalled some of the stories and the deeply entrenched history of the newspaper.

I grew up here and have read the Rocky my entire life until a few years ago when they set up a joint operating agreement with the Denver Post. When the competition softened between the two, the customer service at the end of the line (morning delivery) was thrown out the window. At best, I could get a newspaper thrown somewhere on my property by 10am....too late for us working folks. It used to arrive by 6am and be put on the porch. Sigh....like everything else, customer service dwindled and nobody cared.

I still, sadly, say goodbye to a fine Denver and Colorado institution and mourn along with others the loss of a long time friend.

I say a prayer for all the employees who lost their jobs and bid them well with their search for new ones.

[SteSpot]

Originally Posted by hampstead38

The reality is that newspapers have enjoyed a very successful business model that as of 2005 was generating profit margins of 20 percent, double that of other other Fortune 500 businesses. And like many businesses (*cough* automakers *cough*) they made some lousy decisions. They became management heavy, burdened by onerous union contracts and they were slow adaptors to the new media. And like all businesses that make lousy decisions, they have to pay the consequence up to and including failure. That's just what happens when businesses get heavy, slow and dumb... unless, of course, the government decides they are "too big to fail."

The Los Angeles Times is debt ridded because the Chandler family sold to the Tribune Company who then sold to Sam Zell. The LA Times is not, has never been unionized and never will .....so we cannot blame unions for this bankruptcy....it is the massive debt, some outrageous golden parachutes to some very bad management (some $11 million still owed to one), and advertising revenue (which pays for most of the costs of running a newspaper) drying up mostly from mergers and companies going out of business. There was a time in the mid 80's when the LA Times could sell more advertising than it had the capacity to print.....Perhaps the Times is guilty of being like the railroads who didn't realize they were not in the train business but in the transportation business.....Newspapers are in the information business......the trick is figuring out how to deliver the news in a format that is paid for by subscribers......and I agree, people don't appreciate what they don't pay for....unfortunately, buying news information may not be a top priority of many of today's households and our democracy is at risk because of that IMHO.....paula

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by centennialman

I couldn't bring myself to read the last edition of the "Rocky" yesterday and just finished 3 hours of reading it from front to back this morning. A flood of memories washed over me as I recalled some of the stories and the deeply entrenched history of the newspaper.

I grew up here and have read the Rocky my entire life until a few years ago when they set up a joint operating agreement with the Denver Post. When the competition softened between the two, the customer service at the end of the line (morning delivery) was thrown out the window. At best, I could get a newspaper thrown somewhere on my property by 10am....too late for us working folks. It used to arrive by 6am and be put on the porch. Sigh....like everything else, customer service dwindled and nobody cared.

I still, sadly, say goodbye to a fine Denver and Colorado institution and mourn along with others the loss of a long time friend.

I say a prayer for all the employees who lost their jobs and bid them well with their search for new ones.

We've only been here 15 years, but I feel the same loss ~

Shari

[Silvertwinkie]

Chicago Sun-Times has just filed for bankruptcy.

Sun-Times Media Group files for bankruptcy :: The SouthtownStar :: Business