Is this the end of Freedom?
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Freedom Communications, owner of The Orange County Register and our own East Valley Tribune among other newspapers, will declare bankruptcy this week. Could this be the end for The Trib?
Personally I could do without The Trib, but I would really miss the Ahwatukee Foothills News! I suppose this speaks volumes about the future of newspapers in my opinion — it’s all about hyper-local. Frankly, I get most of my news on the web, but I still like to see news from my neighborhood in the AFN. Then again, I suppose if the print version went away I’d still log on to Ahwatukee.com to get my neighborhood fix.
Of course, bankruptcy doesn’t mean the Trib and other Freedom papers will be shuttered. But bankruptcy is not a good sign. Plus, if your CEO leaves to run a girly magazine that can’t say much about the state of your business!
Is this the end of Freedom?
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Comments
August 31st, 2009 at 9:15 am
The East Valley Tribune has always been an exceptional newspaper. Their recent indepth special report, called “Rigged Privelege,” was an example of journalism at its finest. And don’t forget about their recent Pulitzer! I got my start in journalism at the Tribune and will always be grateful for the mentors I’ve had and the people who worked so passionately every day to make it a great publiciation. I will definitely miss this paper if it goes away.
August 31st, 2009 at 9:36 am
“I suppose this speaks volumes about the future of newspapers in my opinion — it’s all about hyper-local.”
Huh? If the future is hyperlocal then the Trib & AFN should be fine.
August 31st, 2009 at 9:42 am
It’s sad to see the loss of any business treated lightly. Real human beings, and their families, are always impacted. I’ve worked with the East Valley Tribune for many years and have a lot of respect for the paper. Recently I’ve worked with several former staffers who’ve lost their jobs. If Freedom Communications goes it could impact 100+ daily and weekly publications, 8 broadcast outlets and other media properties. That’s several hundred human beings whose futures are now on the line.
August 31st, 2009 at 11:18 am
I didn’t mean to insinuate that it was good that the Trib is in trouble — I simply meant that I won’t miss it because I don’t read it anymore now that there’s now news about my community in it. My bad.
As for hyper-local, I imagine it’s the Orange County Register and some of the other outlets that are dragging down Freedom, and Dan you’ve said yourself that you think the East Valley Trib’s new business model would probably work better than the Republic’s. I think the AFN, for example, would be successful without Freedom. Heck, you and I should buy it!
August 31st, 2009 at 12:33 pm
It depends if the bankruptcy is Chapter 7 or Chapter 11. Chapter 7 you’re out of business. Chapter 11 allows you breathing space to reorganize – a wise business decision. It is like not paying the interest on your mortgage for a year.
I also saw on some local news outlet’s online site that magazine sales from racks are only down 12 percent – who they kidding? When was the last time you actually purchased a magazine? If you’re like me – you see it at the news stand and check it out online. Success Magazine is totally free – the entire magazine – online. Same with most photo magazines.
Love Ms. Jarnagan insight.The Ahwatukee Foothills News is great because Renie Scibona is publisher. She taught me a great deal!
August 31st, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Hyper local these days is papers like the Ahwatukee Foothills News, Arcadia News, SanTan Sun News. I see the future of journalism in these printed neighborhood/hyper-local community papers and at the other end of the spectrum niche news Web sites. Some very big papers will continue (or the Internet wouldn’t have anything to aggregate), but mid-size newspapers are in grave jeopardy. There will always be good journalism, though, as long as there are readers who care and reporters who are trained to report and write well. My 2 cents.