KING-5 is reporting that the Hearst Corporation is putting the Seattle P-I up for sale… a prelude to the folding of Seattle’s first daily newspaper.
[A] source close to the deal tells KING 5 that the paper’s owner, Hearst Corporation, will announce as soon as tomorrow that it’s putting the P-I up for sale. Under the joint operating agreement between the P-I and The Seattle Times, the P-I must be offered for sale for at least 30 days before it can cease operation.
[…] We’re told Hearst does not expect another buyer to step forward and that Seattle will likely become a one newspaper town within the next few months.
Fuck.
Ironically, there’s been much chatter recently about the Seattle Times’ fast deteriorating financial situation, with speculation that the Blethen family might be forced to sell or shut down it’s paper. Hmm. I wonder if Seattle might become a no-newspaper town?
Rick D. spews:
Pravda-Intelligentsia going down the shitter? ’bout time the Blethen family flushed that turd. Couldn’t happen to a better fishwrap disguised as a “newspaper”, really.
I’ve been waiting for that communist lefty rag to drown ever since arriving in this burgh nearly 20 years ago.
Now Horsey can draw unemployment rather than his political propaganda cartoons.
Yeehaww Horsey….giddyup,son…there’s a new Sheriff in town.
Puddybud, Hey it's the New Year... spews:
The Pee-In-Your-Eye dying? They are soooooooo biased left they can’t reach their ass with their right hand.
Awwwww too bad.
Aaron spews:
I’ll be the first to write in this comment thread that the P.I. is by far the better paper.
Your a moron if you think the demise of a paper will supress a voice like Horsey, and many others.
Go fuck your self, Rick. You can leave now, those of use who’ve been here twice as long as you won’t miss you.
Puddy, don’t you owe someone an apology?
Troll spews:
If the P.I. goes down, the Seattle Times’ future will start to look considerably better.
Jesse Jackson Jr. spews:
Maybe those fascist turd lickers Conelley or the bloviating Jamieson can get a job with Mayor McCheese or Ron Sins.
Roger Rabbit spews:
Rickie Dickpuller @1 – Can’t stand truth, huh? Didn’t think so.
Steve spews:
@4 Maybe they can expand to 20 pages.
Roger Rabbit spews:
@2 When pudpuller says “biased to the left” he means “objective” (as opposed to lying rightwing propaganda).
Roger Rabbit spews:
Hey dickwad trolls — the public doesn’t believe you bullshitters anymore.
(Source: 2006 and 2008 election results)
Roger Rabbit spews:
Obama Elected President
Barack Obama was elected president today by a vote of 365 to 173.
Not a single faithless elector defected from his/her slate — the 173 numbskulls who voted for McShameless and Caribou Barbie still have their heads stuck where there’s no light.
Steve spews:
@3 I know that for many years I considered the Times to be the better newspaper.
Do you recall the old Seattle Star? A lurid little rag that was. I only know of it through a collection of very old newspapers a friend has dating from the 1930’s.
Roger Rabbit spews:
@4 If the P-I goes the Times will also go and for the same reasons.
Roger Rabbit spews:
Goldy, if Seattle’s print media collapse there might be an opportunity for a blogger to become an advertising-supported online journalist. The entry threshold is low because startup costs are insignificant. All you need is 1 journalist/editor, and you’ve already got that.
Roger Rabbit spews:
Not much would change. HA is already the Pacific NW’s main news source for the enlightened intelligentsia. This blog even has a social page (i.e., Cynical’s romantic liaisons with goats).
Rick D. spews:
Sure, if you like your communism spoon fed to you by fellow echo chamber of ignorance lefturds you might think that,however grownups, will not.
The people have spoken Erin, put your big girl panties on and deal with it.
Right. But the others can go back to teaching 8th grade journalism classes and Horsey can audition for a role in “brokeback Mountain 2- Have goat will travel”
Troll spews:
@13, 14
It’s sad to see Roger be such a sycophant. I think the turning point was when Roger complained about the HA redesign, and Goldy gave him a public smack down. RR has been trying to kiss up ever since. Sad.
Steve spews:
@3 I actually gave Puddy an unsolicited apology for any confusion I might have caused. Deserving or not, that wasn’t important. I felt an apology was the right thing for me to do. That said, I don’t see him doing any apologizing on his part yet. But we’ll see.
Ivan spews:
This is awful.
Steve spews:
@16 I’ve meant to say, Troll, please feel free to help me out my grammar any time you see fit. (Smiley face insert here)
Rick D. spews:
Rumor has it that Roger and Goldy made up when Goldy presented him with a fresh set of knee pads and a lifetime pass to Goldy’s backyard petting zoo during their holiday gift exchange.
…Thumper hasn’t been seen standing on two legs since…
Steve spews:
@15 How’d you guys ever get so hung up on goats?
Steve spews:
@20 Hmm, there’s that animal thing again. Strange. You guys got issues or something?
Rick D. spews:
We must have read your autobiography Steve.
Jose spews:
Not surprises, I moved from California back in 98 and was surprised at how both newspapers basically reported nothing but leftist views. No news, only left wing liberal agenda, basically the Seattle View of Washington state. Good riddance. This should be a warning to the Times if they keep spewing leftist crap on our face they too will close.
Davis spews:
Seattle already IS a no-newspaper town in my view.
Steve spews:
You mean the three chapters I devoted to the psychology of Republican animal abuse? Um, it was meant to help goatfuckers like you, Rick. I now see that I have failed.
Steve spews:
Most folks have a past. RickyD? He has a case history – refer to chapters 7 and 8.
Rick D. spews:
That’s alright steve, your family has been telling you that for years now.
…and remember kids, “It’s in the
P-IPee? Aye!!Rick D. spews:
In steve’s case, he has no future….Huh!! kind of like the Politically -Insecure newspaper in Seattle.
Steve spews:
Chapters 1 through 6 were devoted to an analysis of troll projection – cause and cure. References to Pudz and Cynical are to be found on nearly every page. Alas, once again I failed to help anybody out. Maybe it was my poor grammar or something. Fucking editor. What damned good are they?
Steve spews:
Maybe if RickyD were to reread the three chapters on Republican goatfucking. After all, he’s not terribly bright now, is he?
Give it another read, RickyD. Maybe you can still get something out of it. Do it for the goat’s sake, if not your own.
Steve spews:
@29 Sticky shift key there, RickyD? Yeah, you and every other troll. However, I think I know the cause. Read chapter 14. Hmm, you’d better read it twice.
Rick D. spews:
@ 31~ only if you send me a copy of your exploits Sidesaddle steve.I lent the one you sent me to a good friend of yours [YLB] and he didn’t return it. Said something about he was tired of horses and goats were much safer in the long run…guess your advice paid off.
Damn shame what happened to that friend of yours from Enumclaw. Your book must have been very therapeutic to write during that time after his loss.
But as you always say Steve, gotta get back in the saddle sometime.
delbert spews:
I’m offering $12 and one half of a slightly wet ‘Magic: The Gathering’ deck I found in the snow…
I may be the high bidder.
Steve spews:
@33 Still projecting, are you? I suggest that you read Chapters 7 through 9 again. Sure, you might not ever be able to stop but at least you might better understand what ails you.
horsesasshole spews:
Actually this is really too bad if true. Whether you are right or left a one newspaper town is good for no one. Seattle and Olympia need more eyes on government not less…
Rick D. spews:
@ 35 ~ are you deaf, dumbass?
I said I lent the copy you sent me to YLB.
All that goat-fucking has given you hearing loss…It’s bad enough you have the eyes of a fucking goat, Sidesaddle Steve pic so I hope in your case it’s not compounded by hearing loss as well.
If it is, then Godspeed in your recovery buddy…at least you’re not a Rabbit.
Steve spews:
@33 Oh, and that guy who got fucked to death by the horse in Enumclaw? A Republican, of course. And the guy from Federal Way who’s wife caught him fucking the family dog on the deck? Republican. By the by, did you know that Republicans came from as far away as Wyoming to be fucked by that horse? Refer to Chapter 16. Or I can provide links to the news articles if you prefer. I did that for Pudz and he quite understandably never brought the subject up again.
Rick D. spews:
Was that picture of you @ 37 from High School Steve? …if so, you must have started on them goats as a yung’un to look that fucking bug-eyed.
Hmm odds say Side-saddle steve is going to project in his next response due to his embarrassment at me finding his picture above, probably bring up some other form of animal copulation or something he’s experimented with in his past…. can’t hide from the truth steve.
Any takers on that bet?
Steve spews:
@37 Hey, wait a darned minute. I know who you are! You’re that dogfucker from Federal Way, aren’t you? Holy shit! LMFAO!!!! Hey, did the wife divorce you? Well, who could blame her? After all, fucking the dog. That’s just no good, RickyD. I sure hope you got to Chapter 20 cause that one’s especially for you, you nasty-ass dogfucker. Hot damn! RickyD fucks dogs! I should have known.
Steve spews:
Sorry about that, RickyD. If only I’d realized sooner that you’re the Federal Way dogfucker, I’d have never accused you of fucking goats. My bad. But how about the horse? We’re you in on that?
Rick D. spews:
@ 40 and 41 :
Wow, Am I clairvoyant or what? My guess is Steve is acting out due to Roger getting the lifetime pass to Goldy’s petting zoo instead of him. Hey, cheer up Steve, there’s many more Holidays to follow.
Steve spews:
@42 Try being a little more imaginative with the insults, please, as I’m getting bored with your replies.
Steve spews:
Zzzzzzzzzz pfft!! Oh, sorry, RickyD. I dozed off while reading your last post.
Troll spews:
So … What does everyone think of Goldy’s logic? He’s saying that since both newspapers are struggling, that if the P.I. goes, then The Seattle Times is soon to follow. I say the departure of the P.I. will strengthen The Times. What say you?
Rick D. spews:
Goldy’s Logic? isn’t that oxymoron?
Yes, the Times will pick up readership when the thinking adults that were driven to cancel the P-I because of it’s indoctrination style politics on its pages return to a more enlightened and moderate stance. I congratulate the Times and the Hearst Corporation to finally cut the deadweight Politically-Indoctrinated from the Seattle psyche. These asshats out here are batshit looney enough without the local fishwrap enabling their psychosis with its views.
Rick D. spews:
Goldy’s Logic? isn’t that oxymoron?
Yes, the Times will pick up readership when the thinking adults that were driven to cancel the P-I because of it’s indoctrination style politics on its pages return to a newspaper and not a ‘viewspaper’ that the P-I had become. I congratulate the Times and the Hearst Corporation to finally cut the
Politically-Indoctrinateddeadweight and financial albatross from around their necks for the past 2 decades. Bravo!These leftist asshats out here are batshit looney enough without the local fishwrap enabling their psychosis with its views.
Geoduck spews:
@45: In the short term, it will probably help, because some people who want to read newspapers will presumably switch over, but long-term the Times is facing the same basic problem: the number of people who want to read newspapers keeps shrinking.
Rick D. spews:
Goldy’s Logic? isn’t that oxymoron?
Yes, the Seattle Times will pick up readership when the thinking adults that were driven to cancel the P-I because of it’s indoctrination style politics on its pages return to a newspaper and not a ‘viewspaper’ that the P-I had become. I congratulate the Times and the Hearst Corporation to finally cut the
deadweightPolitically-Indoctrinated from the Seattle psyche that was losing them money for decades.These leftist asshats out here are batshit looney enough without the local fishwrap enabling their psychosis with its own psychotic views.
Rick D. spews:
About time this city grew up and got a real newspaper. SP also has an item on it and that is where I’m headed. Later trolls
Troll spews:
Hearst knows exactly what it’s doing. They know full well they will not be able to sell the P.I because buyers right now cannot borrow. In other words, they want the paper to cease to exist. They want to be out of the Seattle newspaper market.
Good piece here on the newspapers will be the least likely to weather the economic downturn. They predict the beginning of no-newspaper cities.
http://www.fitzandjen.com/2008.....n-the.html
Blue John spews:
Notice how the conservatives don’t have any intelligent to say, they just resort to name calling?
God I wished we could get some thinking conservatives to post here, in place of those morons.
YellowPup spews:
@13: That’s a real possibility.
If I understand correctly, in Minnesota, all the fired and disgruntled journalists from the greatly reduced and lame-ified Minneapolis and St. Paul newspapers got together and formed MinnPost a couple of years ago, a non-profit online news service that is kicking the papers’ sorry asses in terms of quality. It seems to be staying afloat on funding from individual contributors and foundations.
Ed Weston spews:
I subscribed to the P.I. cause they carried Zippy the Pinhead. They replaced it this week, a great pity.
Per the trolls the only good newspapers are the ones who will swallow any neocon talking point without gagging and a look of pleasure pasted on their face.
MMfa gave them a few kudos in a review of national newspapers.Snark on, todays editorial pundits, Friedman and Dowd, there’s liberal fer yah. Um, snark off.
YellowPup spews:
The Stranger always said it was “Seattle’s Only Newspaper.”
Roger Rabbit spews:
@16 Jealous?
Roger Rabbit spews:
@20 Now that’s actually funny. Didn’t know you had it in you, Rickie Dicklicker! Is your little brother writing your material for you now? I can’t imagine you thought that up yourself.
Rick D. spews:
…yeah, I come to HA for the many intelligent debates I see here..HAHA
Roger Rabbit spews:
@37 Thank the Great Mother Rabbit Spirit that I’m a rabbit and not a stupid human Republican goat balls licker like you.
Roger Rabbit spews:
@45 I say you’re an idiot. All newspapers are struggling. Both the P-I and Times get a large chunk of their advertising revenue from the real estate and auto markets, which aren’t exactly thriving right now, are they? Under the JOA, the Times handles all of the P-I’s printing and circulation, and gets paid for it, so if the P-I folds there goes a major revenue stream. As both of these papers are struggling for the same reasons, why do you think the collapse of the P-I would strengthen the Times? Blethen’s rag will merely be the last domino standing. Newspapers were in trouble even before the economy tanked because their business model is outdated and they’re being superseded by new technologies.
Crusader spews:
Pee shit pee shit, kaka in libturds mouth ahah a SHIT FUC YOU
Roger Rabbit spews:
@53 Perhaps in the future most journalists will work for non-profits. Surely journalism is an important enough activity that foundations will support it if advertisers don’t.
Blue John spews:
Where will we get our news to discuss, if papers go away?
Mr. Cynical spews:
uhhhh I’m seeing Dan Savage now. He’s the bottom. I’m the top. Oh, wait. I’m the bottom he’s the top. uhhh no that’s the goat; Dan is… oh shit, Ted Haggart is the top and I’m…confused.
Proud to be SeattleJew Today spews:
Roger
I wish someone would post an estimate of what the real costs of running a newspaper are. Ho9w much is debt service? paper? writers and reporters? admin?
Roger Rabbit spews:
@65 If you have to ask, you can’t afford to own one. Hint: Frank Blethen’s shiny new printing plant in Bothell cost $150 million.
Roger Rabbit spews:
@64 The goat is on top, and you’re on the bottom, lying on your stomach.
Any more questions?
Roger Rabbit spews:
IRS Lien Against Huff Was A Bureautic Bungle
The sucky little rival blog has been trying to slime King County Elections Director candidate Sherrill Huff by accusing her of tax evasion, based on an IRS tax lien. The IRS fucked up, pure and simple — and Huff is hardly the first law-abiding taxpayer to get dunned by IRS flunkies for money she didn’t owe.
But a story in tomorrow’s Seattle Times says the tax lien was a mistake and Huff actually got a big tax refund.
“The Internal Revenue Service filed a $13,534 lien against her in March 2007, claiming she had failed to pay income taxes for 2000,” the Times says. “Sound Politics blogger Stefan Sharkansky … called Huff a liar because she wrote on a Democratic Party candidate questionnaire that she had never failed to pay any taxes.
“Huff said … she had filed on time and paid her taxes. … Huff showed a letter from the IRS dated July 23, 2007, that reduced its calculation of taxes and penalties owed by more than $15,000 and gave her a $5,078 refund.”
(Quoted under fair use.)
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Looks like this one is gonna blow up in Sharansky’s face. A $5,000 IRS refund doesn’t bear much resemblance to tax evasion. This was nothing more than a bureaucratic screwup — and Huff is hardly the first law-abiding taxpayer to get dunned by IRS flunkies for money she didn’t owe.
YLB spews:
The wingtards (like little Rickie Dumbass) are pining something awful for a Murdoch paper.
Richard Pope spews:
Roger Rabbit @ 68
I don’t know that the IRS fucked up. These tax matters can be pretty complicated. They were probably just trying to do their job, and Sherril Huff was just trying to argue her position on that 2000 income tax issue.
The one thing that is clear is that Huff’s answer on the questionnaire was correct. And that she would still be the best candidate for the position, even if Stefan’s story about the tax lien had held up under scrutiny.
EvergreenRailfan spews:
I wonder, why is the Owner of the Times saying he had not heard of anything? Or telling the newsroom staff at the P-I? As for Horsey, he has something the Trolls don’t have. Pulitzer Prizes. Puts him above those who don’t. They do not give Pulitzer Prizes out for best trash talk by trolls.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....cation=rss
Politically Incorrect spews:
Anyone who thinks blogging for the “enlightened intelligentsia” is a fucking moron. Blogging is where somebody with too much time on his/her hands pisses his/her life away.
Politically Incorrect spews:
68 & 70,
Why not got to a national sales tax instead of income tax and get rid of the complicated bureaucratic nightmare that’s called the Internal Revenue Code?
If the goal was to create a mess necessitating the services of high-priced lawyers and accountants, they the IRC is immensely successful.
Bax spews:
Isn’t the real reason Blethlen was stunned because this is an indication that Hearst is going to be coming after the Times at a fire-sale price? Fold the PI, take away revenues from the Times, and force them to sell to Hearst at a lower value. Hearst has done this in other cities.
Rick D. spews:
@ 74 ~ I think you’re correct Bax.
The last headline to appear in the P-I will read:
Reports of our death have been greatly
exaggerated… substantiatedHare ye, Hare ye, get your news hare folks!
rhp6033 spews:
PI @ 73 said: Why not got to a national sales tax instead of income tax and get rid of the complicated bureaucratic nightmare that’s called the Internal Revenue Code?”
Yea, that’s the ticket. If you like the Washington State Sales Tax, which is difficult to enforce and subject to a myriad of exemptions, you would LOVE a federal sales tax!
Of course, the state’s current budget woes are an example of why a sales tax isn’t the most reliable revenue tool avaialable to government – sales tax revenues flucuate at a much moe extreme rate than income taxes do. But that’s kind of the whole point of Republican neo-con logic: use any means available to reduce government revenues to the lowest possible level which might be experienced in a depressed economy, and keep it there even in times of economic expansion.
rhp6033 spews:
Apparantly Goldberg and another right-wing idiot are putting out books blaming McCain’s loss on a “biased media”.
I find that particularly amusing. After eight years of complete mis-management at every level of the goverment, the Republicans want to ignore the collapsing economy, the enormous budget deficits, the exploading national debt, the continued war in Iraq, the deteriorating situation in Afganistan and Pakistan, the total loss of prestige and enfluence of the U.S. internationally, the decline of the fortunes of the middle class while the richest Americans profited exponentially, and the necessity of the Republicans to field a candidate who was effectively running against his own party as a “reformer”, and who selected a laughably unqualified Vice-Presidential candidate, these nuts want to blame – THE MEDIA (including, presumably, both the Times and the P.I.) for their problems?????
If some of you will recall, it was only six months or so ago that several wingnut posters here argued rather forcefully that NOBODY PAID ANY ATTENTION TO THE MAJOR NETWORKS OR CNN, that the American people had rejected the “left-wing bias” of those news outlets and were moving to FOX NEWS in droves. O’Reilly himself still claims that he has greater enfluence than the traditional network news outlets, plus CNN, combined.
Well, nobody ever accused the wingnuts of ever being overly consistent or logical in their positions.
Rick D. spews:
If you can’t see the media bias towards the left RHP, you’re either willfully ignorant or tremendously tone deaf. I’ll let you decide which.
Almost as laughably unqualified as your presidential candidate, only she had more experience.
I just exposed 2 of your very biased positions which you can’t refute with fact. It appears you’re the one incapable of cosistency or logic when filtered through your liberal ideological dogma.
Take the blinders of RHP, this isn’t emerald downs…but it does explain the naming of Goldy’s site Horses Ass since liberals are always coming in second, there’s no other view to look at with those blinders on.
Ed Weston spews:
Rick what liberal causes has the media sucessfully championed recently in the face of conservative oposition? FISA,Vchip,financial transparency, Global warming, congressional oversite of the executive branch, institutional torture, union causes, big fat zero on those. Liberal media your skinny white ass!
YLB spews:
Being a little biased against more of the same would be perfectly human unlike little Rickie Dumbass. The people had the last word on “bias” last Nov 4 but little Rickie Dumbass thinks people are controlled by the big bad old MSM. Like they were in 2000 and 2004? Poor little Ricky Dumbass.
Hmmm. Experience at being a “Diva” (per Faux News Report) for sure.
LOL! Little Ricky Dumbass has been imbibing the Limbaugh so long it’s just too funny.
If coming in “second” means the results of Nov 4 and this coming Jan 20., I can settle for “second” every time. We can always do better of course. If being “second” is this good, I can’t wait to come in “first”.
Poor little Ricky Dumbass.
Steve spews:
The other day Puddy was arguing that on November 4th “conservatism didn’t lose”. Then in a quick turnaround, Pudz admitted they lost but then argued that they only lost because their candidate “wasn’t conservative enough”. I understood him to mean that, if only Palin had headed the ticket, trolls would have been rejoicing on November 5th. Upon reconsideration, I now encourage Pudz to hang onto this belief. They should definitely go with Sarah Palin in 2012.
RobertSeattle spews:
I see the right wing nuttery is back to their victimhood and “Librul Media” whining game – GOOD!
Steve spews:
Three bits of trivia I picked up on from reading HA this week:
Puddy has great admiration for a Jew-hating troll who goes by the name of manoftruth.
Puddy hates Mormons for some unknown reason.
RickyD has what can only be described as an unhealthy relationship with the family dog.
Something else that I already knew but was greatly reinforced was that Puddy cannot or will not ever admit that he was wrong about any little thing, no matter how trivial. This, of course, rendered him utterly incapable of apologizing for repeatedly lying this week about a what a fellow HA poster, me, didn’t write about him. I already knew this about Puddy but I was disappointed in him all the same.
ArtFart spews:
If this thread is exemplary of the way we’re to be “informed” by blogs after the demise of print journalism, we’re truly in the deepest of manure.
YLB spews:
83 – LMAO!!! Steve, my sides about split with your take on little Rickie Dumbass. You caught him perfectly.
I needed that. Thanks!
bigyaz spews:
As ever, Roger Rabbit knows nothing of what he speaks.
If the P-I folds, the Times no longer has to send money Hearst’s way. No longer has the production costs of printing two papers. Doesn’t need all the people who manage P-I circulation, etc. Picks up a lot of the P-I’s subscribers. Keeps all the advertising dollars to itself.
Now, that doesn’t mean the Times will be flush, given what’s happening with the economy and newspapers everywhere. But it will be in a far better position than it is today.
John425 spews:
Goldy worries that we may become a “no-paper” town whereas I’ve believed that we have been that way for years. Am looking forward to the P-I “Going-out-of-business” garage sale and bidding on the Globe and Eagle that currently sits atop the P-I building. Just the globe and eagle, screw the P-I letters. Do you think it will be on Craigslist-Seattle or will I have to go down there and bid in person?
slingshot spews:
I call dibbs on their rooftop globe.
rhp6033 spews:
So, Ricky D., I guess you consider Fox News and Robert Murdoch’s papers part of this “liberal bias”???? How about AOL? How about the ownership of most A.M. talk radio? How about The Drudge Report, Sound Politics, and the host of other conservative blogs?
There is no media monopoly any more. The original three networks couldn’t throw an election if they tried. And allowing a candidate such as Sarah Palin to look foolish while trying to answer a simple question which lots of candidates have been asked before (what newspapers do you read?), isn’t media bias.
It seems to me that in the free exchange if ideas, the Republican neo-conservatives – lost. The lost because they were given a free hand to try their ideas, and enough time to see the results therefrom. That’s not liberal bias, that’s just the final score.
And it’s hypocritical to insist that some news outlets (ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN) prove their “lack of bias” by not reporting news which is unfavorable to your own candidate, while not applying the same standard to media which regularly supports your own candidate (Fox News, Washington Times, Wall Street Journal, AOL, etc.). The absence of a “fairness doctrine” works both ways.
rhp6033 spews:
Bigyas @ 86: Any benefit to the Times from the demise of the P.I. would be temporary.
There will be some initial reduction in the expense of printing two papers. And the Times wouldn’t have to share any of the revenue.
But MOST P.I. subscribers are with that paper for a reason, and I suspect that the number who move their subscriptions to the Times would be rather small. (Expect the Times to offer free papers to P.I. subscribers for a month or two, in the hopes of getting them used to it). But I think most will simply use this as an opportunity to cut out the paper altogether and move online to get their news.
And the revenue stream will suffer. Currently advertisers pay more to get their ads run in both papers, just to make sure they get exposure to those who buy the P.I., but not the Times. If there is only one paper, that doesn’t mean that they will pay the same amount for only one ad, rather than two. The revenue stream from advertising will soon be reduced just because of the merger.
In the long run, the lack of competition between the papers will hurt the Times. Without the inducement of competition, they will cut back more on local reporting, relying on wire-service copy of national news and columnists instead. This will, over time, erode subscriber base even more. Why buy a paper to read national and international news you already knew about from TV, radio, and the internet, and which is already superceeded by other events which have happened since the paper was printed?
Greg spews:
I bid one wooden Nickels and one plugged Nickels.
Didn’t Goldstein have a close encounter with Tanya (Tania?) Hearst? Bet this is all some deucedly clever insider power play by Oprah Milhous Goldstein to corner the information economy by turning herself into the next (Rosebud!) Charles Foster Kane.
Puddybud spews:
38. Steve spews:
Really Steve? The Enumclaw guy was from Boeing and lived in Seattle. Even Pelletizer knew that. He may have been gay from some reports.
Federal Way guy was undetermined by Federal Way swung Donkey so he probably was Donkey too
Steve spews:
When are you going to apologize to me, Puddy?
Steve spews:
Just to repeat for Puddy’s reading pleasure:
“Three bits of trivia I picked up on from reading HA this week:
Puddy has great admiration for a Jew-hating troll who goes by the name of manoftruth.
Puddy hates Mormons for some unknown reason.
RickyD has what can only be described as an unhealthy relationship with the family dog.
Something else that I already knew but was greatly reinforced was that Puddy cannot or will not ever admit that he was wrong about any little thing, no matter how trivial. This, of course, rendered him utterly incapable of apologizing for repeatedly lying this week about a what a fellow HA poster, me, didn’t write about him. I already knew this about Puddy but I was disappointed in him all the same.”
YLB spews:
94 – Stupes recently gave some lip service to being “not right about everything” – in order to accuse me of the opposite of course.
WHAT he’s “not right about”, HE WON”T SAY.
In any case, I was amazed he EVEN WENT THAT FAR.
Miracles never cease.
Steve spews:
@95 Well, seeing as Pudz is flat wrong about all things political, I can understand how he might be reluctant to go down that particular road. But when he fails to admit a wrong such as a false accusation like the one he made against me this last week, I can only conclude that this behavior is symptomatic of a much deeper character flaw. I did think he was a better man than that. Unlike Puddy, I can admit when I’m wrong and I was certainly wrong about him.