Re: Guy Gannett Sale

["Chris Beckwith" <beckwith@ime.net>]

On 1 Apr 98 Dan Billings wrote:

> If you read the Portland Press Herald regurlarly, you would see that
> it is not much better than USA Today.  Longer articles, but still
> all fluff.

To say nothing of all that wishy-washy boosterism laughably known as
the editorial page.

> The article in today's Press Herald quoted one analyst who
> speculated that Gannett might spin off WCSH-TV so they could buy
> the Portland Newspapers.

"In a heartbeat" is the phrase being bandied about.

> it would seem more than likely that they would make major
> improvements to the Portland paper.

I would be delighted to see the NYT Company take the
soon-to-be-former Guy Gannett papers.  Not only would it be a
natural geographical fit with the Boston Globe, it might also give
the state's circulation leader, the Bangor Daily News, ample
incentive to improve its content.  Still, you have to wonder if the
NYT would make quite the same effort given that they'd face little if
any competition in the papers' home markets.

> I think at one time the New York Times owned the weekly York County
> Coast Star in Maine.

They *did* publish the YCCS at one point; the weekly is now owned by
a regional, privately-held chain based in Massachusetts.

Take care,

Chris, who works less than a mile from the YCCS offices

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