R.I.P. Rocky Mountain News (Denver, Colorado Springs: cost of, bus, office)

[denverian]

Originally Posted by wanttomoveeast

Thing about the News, they were easier to read due to the format, open book like. And I did like the crosswords. Oh well, I'll just continue to do those on the web. : )


**One other thing, the real drag in this is that all those people lost their jobs. I saw on the news this morning photos of the people being told about the closing, it was really sad watching people cry and look totally brought down. Sucks to lose your job just like that.

Yeah, that's pretty sad. And it' not like many of them have options to go to another newspaper, although the Post hired a few of them. They'll most likely have to reinvent themselves into a different career.

A few years ago I took classes for Photoshop and online publishing to "brush up" on my skills, and now I'm the managing editor and layout designer for my company's newsletter. It's not my full time job, but at least I use many of the skills I learned in Journalism school.

[DenverAztec]

Any business closure is a loss and sad for the employees, but the product must be sustainable and feasible for any company to remain alive. Denver was lucky to be a two newspaper town for so long (the News was almost 150 years old). It benefitted writers, advertisers and readers as it provided options and competition. However, if you as a company note that business is dropping, you change or morph to stay competitive. I didn't see this with the News.

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

... Every reporter and editor at the Rocky deserves a standing ovation for hanging on as long as they did, and I hope that the city of Denver is going to somehow recognize their fortitude.

I agree that strong efforts were made by the writers and I am not sure of the number but many reports and staff from the News will be going over to the Post. It will now become internally competitive at the Post.

Additionally, dozens of News employees were able to find other jobs as they were looking when the announcement was made last Fall that the paper was for sale and would close if a buyer was not found. Still very sad for those without jobs to go to and have mouths to feed and bills to pay.

Originally Posted by denverian

From what I understand, part of the problem with newspapers is that they're losing tons of advertising dollars because people now sell/advertise for free on Craigslist and eBay. Plus with all the job websites, who looks for a job in the paper anymore? Combine that with a dumbed-down population that doesn't care about the news, and it's a disaster for newspapers.

I have a degree in newspaper journalism, but thankfully never got into it as a career. I do get the post and read it every day though. I have to wonder why they don't make you pay for an online subscription though.

Charging would have to be done universally as if one does it, then the viewers will just go elsewhere for free.

Originally Posted by motoracer51

If you can't run a profitable business, then the only option is to close it down.

I'm finally happy to see the free market in action rather than the reckless Government spending in the name of "bail outs".

I have been wanting to buy an American car for years to help our economy but living in the core of Denver the ever popular SUV was no way near conducive to my lifestyle. The small American cars didn't compare to what you could get for the money and safety with foreign cars. Ford, Chrysler, GM, etc, need to produce products we want and need or will go the way of the Rocky Mountain News and the scores of other papers that closed this past week or will be closing shortly.

[Sockeye]

This is a sad day. I preferred the Rocky's tabloid format versus the Post's broadsheet. The Rocky's op-ed and local news sections were more in depth as well. The Rocky spawned some legendary journalists as Willow mentioned, most notably Gene Amole.

[DenverLawGal]

Originally Posted by DenverAztec

I have been wanting to buy an American car for years to help our economy but living in the core of Denver the ever popular SUV was no way near conducive to my lifestyle. The small American cars didn't compare to what you could get for the money and safety with foreign cars. Ford, Chrysler, GM, etc, need to produce products we want and need or will go the way of the Rocky Mountain News and the scores of other papers that closed this past week or will be closing shortly.

We feel the same way. When it comes down to it, we are consumers. And not rich folk either. So I continue to buy Hyundais as they last forever. I don't have car payments and hardly spend $$ on maintenance, unlike the American counter-parts. Also, my Hyundai which looks exactly like any other Ford, GM, etc. cost about half what they are charging.

[esya]

My daughter called me last night from the east coast to mourn it's passing. We are acquaintainces/social friends with one of the local managers who is now out of a job with everyone else on the staff. They are good people, four kids reliant on one income just like the rest of us. Makes me wonder why all the money Gov Ritter just gave to the california based Wells Fargo bank for martgage bailout for who knows where could not have gone to a local company with local employees. We are bailing out the loosing auto industry in the midwest, but here goes another local company--Hirschfield press went down last year and now the Rocky. I will miss the Rocky's voice in the wilderness. Hmmm how many of you can help support one of these folks (or any unemployed friend or relative) with the $1500 per taxpayer that you will get back on the federal plan? Where's the money to the banks going?

[HighlandsGal]

I'm bummed about it -- we got the Rocky Mountain News and there is no better way to spend a weekend morning -- reading the paper, relaxing, and drinking coffee.

As much as I love the internet -- I go on here more to be entertained than to be informed. I prefer to read the actual newspaper over an online format (or watch the news, although you can't get good unbaised news here unless you watch BBC America's edition)

[2bindenver]

I went to twelve places this morning to grab a copy - none available.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

I went to twelve places this morning to grab a copy - none available.

Darn! I was hoping to take the Rocky out to dinner tonight; eating out with the Rocky open on the table has become a ritual of sorts for me since moving to CO. The tabloid format makes reading while eating much easier.


I'm going to miss the Rocky. Last night, I sat reading the Rocky with my family at Taco John's. Yesterday's edition was remarkably normal, printed before the official news was broken to the Rocky's employees. It's going to be sad that I'm now going to have to resort to the Denver Post or the Aurora Sentinel (which isn't bad for a free paper, by the way).

Even with the Rocky's more conservative slant, the paper was leaps and bounds ahead of The Post in journalistic quality. The Post occasionally reads like it's written by fourth-graders. But, I hope The Post can learn from the Rocky's successes, and I hope they incorporate some of what made the Rocky great into their rag.

R.I.P. Rocky. Our time together was far too short-lived.

[vegaspilgrim]

So how is this building going to look now?

[DenverAztec]

The Post sign will remain and may be centralized and larger. Family who works for the Post has said that it hasn't been discussed publicly out of respect for the News empolyees.

Just learned that if the San Francisco Chronicle, which has been up for sale for two years, does not find a buyer soon it will also close. This would leave San Francisco without any daily paper whatsoever. I guess we are lucky to have the one, the Post, left in Denver.

Journalist, writers and photographers will always remain and once we begin getting really horrid and trashy news from the internet void of true reporting, then we will need a new venue for information out of demand. Something new will be created and the print media will morph into something new, creative and feasible. What that is has yet to surface but just like any industry, you need to constantly reinvent your products, come up with fresh ideas and give people something that is of value and substance.