Tribune to sell The Baltimore Sun and its seven other newspapers.

[KSweeley]

Link: http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore...-to-begin.html

Feb 26, 2013

Tribune Co. has hired investment bankers to oversee the auction of its eight newspapers, including the Baltimore Sun, after much speculation whether the media company would sell its newspapers following its emergence from bankruptcy, CNBC reported Tuesday.

Tribune Co. hired Evercore Partners (NYSE: EVR) and J.P. Morgan (NYSE: JPM) to oversee the auction during the next few weeks of its eight newspapers, CNBC reported. In addition to the Sun, other papers include the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times.

Tribune emerged from bankruptcy protection in December after going bankrupt in 2008.

[TheResearcher]

I have a dollar. They can sell The Sun to me. I'll turn it around.

[KSweeley]

I'm wondering if The Baltimore Sun will end up with local ownership or not. Last time I remember reading rumors of Tribune planning to sell off The Baltimore Sun, groups of local people came out of the woodwork to express interest in bringing The Baltimore Sun back into local ownership, I wonder if it will happen now since Tribune has confirmed they are going to sell off The Baltimore Sun.

[gtowanderer]

I just hope that if someone does buy the Baltimore Sun that they will revamp the editorial section so the reader can get an unbiased account of the news. The present editorial staff is left of Marx so all the reader gets is one left slanted viewpoint.

[ybnormal]

Any non-democrat would be a welcome purchaser - facts instead of bias reporting. Refreshing.

[DaggerJohn]

I just hope that if someone does buy the Baltimore Sun that they will revamp the editorial section so the reader can get an unbiased account of the news. The present editorial staff is left of Marx so all the reader gets is one left slanted viewpoint.

Totally agree. The editorial board, and most of the regular columnists (Rodericks, Reimer, etc) are off-the-charts lefties.

[octoburn]

If that was truly the case, then papers like The Washington Times would be huge success stories. The fact is that print media ~ all print media ~ is dying in the digital age as an outmoded, costly, and very slow form of communicating news and other stories that can be obtained nearly instantly as it happens through other means. And as a result, the revenue sources that sustained in before are disappearing.

[KSweeley]

If that was truly the case, then papers like The Washington Times would be huge success stories. The fact is that print media ~ all print media ~ is dying in the digital age as an outmoded, costly, and very slow form of communicating news and other stories that can be obtained nearly instantly as it happens through other means. And as a result, the revenue sources that sustained in before are disappearing.

I completely agree with that, if major newspapers don't keep up with the times, they will soon go out of business. The Baltimore Sun needs to focus on digital media rather than print media, I wouldn't be too surprised that within potentially the next 2 or even 4 years from now, we won't see any newspaper boxes throughout the city as all the news have shifted to reporting online and through the TV. There also have been citizen news reporting through blogs thanks to cell phones equipped with video and picture recording capabilities so it's true, print media is dying a slow but sure death in favor of digital media.

[Lawman 27]

If that was truly the case, then papers like The Washington Times would be huge success stories. The fact is that print media ~ all print media ~ is dying in the digital age as an outmoded, costly, and very slow form of communicating news and other stories that can be obtained nearly instantly as it happens through other means. And as a result, the revenue sources that sustained in before are disappearing.

I completely agree with that, if major newspapers don't keep up with the times, they will soon go out of business. The Baltimore Sun needs to focus on digital media rather than print media, I wouldn't be too surprised that within potentially the next 2 or even 4 years from now, we won't see any newspaper boxes throughout the city as all the news have shifted to reporting online and through the TV. There also have been citizen news reporting through blogs thanks to cell phones equipped with video and picture recording capabilities so it's true, print media is dying a slow but sure death in favor of digital media.

I disagree with part of that...

There is nothing more enjoyable (well, there WAS nothing more enjoyable) then getting up and holding a printed paper in your hands while drinking (several) cups of coffee. For all its wonders, the internet does not have that.

Where the internet has crushed papers like the Sun is in the 'fact checking' arena. If I read a Sun article I can easily go to the internet and find out just how pathetically bogus it is*. (I had the same problem when I would investigate a crime then read the Sun's article...It had me wondering if we were talking about the same crime).

If the Sun really wanted to improve, they could start by acurately reporting the stories. They could actually investigate government corruption instead of pretending that it does not exist. If the Police did a good job, they could admit it and if the bad guys were bad guys, they could admit that too. Personally, I don't think they have the desire or will power to do that, I think they would gladly crash and burn yelling out that is all somebody else's fault).

As it is, the writers and reporters can always get a job working for the "Maury" show...That is about all they are cut out for.



*Not only in what is reported, but is what is (surprise, surprise) left out.

[octoburn]

I disagree with part of that...

There is nothing more enjoyable (well, there WAS nothing more enjoyable) then getting up and holding a printed paper in your hands while drinking (several) cups of coffee. For all its wonders, the internet does not have that.

Where the internet has crushed papers like the Sun is in the 'fact checking' arena. If I read a Sun article I can easily go to the internet and find out just how pathetically bogus it is*. (I had the same problem when I would investigate a crime then read the Sun's article...It had me wondering if we were talking about the same crime).

If the Sun really wanted to improve, they could start by acurately reporting the stories. They could actually investigate government corruption instead of pretending that it does not exist. If the Police did a good job, they could admit it and if the bad guys were bad guys, they could admit that too. Personally, I don't think they have the desire or will power to do that, I think they would gladly crash and burn yelling out that is all somebody else's fault).

As it is, the writers and reporters can always get a job working for the "Maury" show...That is about all they are cut out for.



*Not only in what is reported, but is what is (surprise, surprise) left out.

What we get used to is a generational thing. Print news has now become "old news" by the time it goes to press.

And the advantage online forums like this provide is that you and anyone else can instantly comment and point out factual errors when they occur.

Almost all of the criticism I find regarding the Baltimore Sun's supposed bias comes from those who tend to cut and paste from far~right media and become angry when those sources have their errors pointed out.

If you have proof of unreported government corruption and can actually prove it, I suspect that this paper would love to know it so they can report it or they can post it right here. The simple fact is that those who often claim it, do not have proof at all.

[Steveg85321]

I have a brother (who works on a computer all day) who doesn't like reading the news online, and loves sitting on his couch and holding a newspaper. To each his own I guess. I bet it's been ten years since I picked up an actual newspaper, at least on a regular basis.

An anecdote- I happened to be visiting in Charlottesville VA the day after the Super Bowl, with no access to my PC. I was going to eat in a restaurant and wanted a paper to read coverage on the game. I picked up a Washington Post, but it was an early edition that apparently went to press before the game actually started, so was useless. I saw the Richmond paper had a photo above the fold of Jacoby's TD return, so I bought that. When I opened the paper though (which was incredibly thin) instead of a story on the game, it told me to check their web site for the story! So who in the world is going to buy advertising in a medium that sends readers to another medium; it's like a radio show that tells people to watch TV.

Newspapers as we know it are doomed.

[Steveg85321]

Years ago I had a subscription to the Sun which I canceled primarily because it was a waste of time and effort to have so much stuff I was not interested in lugged to my porch. When someone called me to ask why I canceled, I told them it was because of the left wing editorial slant. I don't know whether that mattered to anyone there.

[sigmalady]

I disagree with part of that...

There is nothing more enjoyable (well, there WAS nothing more enjoyable) then getting up and holding a printed paper in your hands while drinking (several) cups of coffee. For all its wonders, the internet does not have that.

Where the internet has crushed papers like the Sun is in the 'fact checking' arena. If I read a Sun article I can easily go to the internet and find out just how pathetically bogus it is*. (I had the same problem when I would investigate a crime then read the Sun's article...It had me wondering if we were talking about the same crime).

If the Sun really wanted to improve, they could start by acurately reporting the stories. They could actually investigate government corruption instead of pretending that it does not exist. If the Police did a good job, they could admit it and if the bad guys were bad guys, they could admit that too. Personally, I don't think they have the desire or will power to do that, I think they would gladly crash and burn yelling out that is all somebody else's fault).

As it is, the writers and reporters can always get a job working for the "Maury" show...That is about all they are cut out for.



*Not only in what is reported, but is what is (surprise, surprise) left out.

I agree with you.

[Lawman 27]

If you have proof of unreported government corruption and can actually prove it, I suspect that this paper would love to know it so they can report it or they can post it right here. The simple fact is that those who often claim it, do not have proof at all.

I don't know if this would count as corruption, but here is just one example:
The City keeps saying how bad off the employee pension system is. I have repeated over and over that the Police and FD Officers have given their fair share to the pension program. The problem is that the City (opps) forgot to give their required amount. Now the City is complaining about the shortages and trying to make it look like it is the fault of the FD and PD.

Rather than (a) reporting the truth, or (b) demanding to know what happened to the money or (c) acknowledging that the City mishandled the money, the Sun chose to neglect reporting the truth about the whole thing.

The Sun could easily contact the pension board (which HAS reported the problem repeatedly), but why should they bother to actually cover anything?