The Rocky to Close

The Nacchio case came down yesterday and I received a call from Sara Burnett at the Rocky Mountain News for my thoughts.  It didn't earn me a quote but it resulted in a thoughtful, interesting conversation with someone who had followed the trial from the very beginning. 

Today, we have received in Colorado the sad news that the Rocky Mountain News will close, transforming Denver into a single newspaper city (the Denver Post is the survivor).  It is frustrating to see this happen with the inevitable loss of coverage that will result.  Moreover, newspapers often seem incapable of varying their model.  While advertising revenue is down (Craigs List and others have seen to that) and printing costs are up, there is a market out there for those willing to pay for thoughtful, unique coverage, delivered in a cost effective way (most likely over the Internet).  In time, there will hopefully be more rather than less coverage.  In the meantime, the closing of the Rocky is a great loss.