Comments on: Cox To Unload Austin Paper, Others

By: Bethany

Bethany — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:28:47 +0000

Because they’re the liberal media? Where’s the source on that one?

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:50:02 +0000

DMN was actually going to outsource most of thier production of the newspaper to India.
That was leaked from inside the company.

By: Hoya

Hoya — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:02:09 +0000

Watching Steve Blow and Rod Dreher systematically pave the seamless transition to an interchangeable, generic crew from Bangalore supplying opinion columns on Fun Facts and Interesting Issues from anywhere and nowhere at a third of the cost has been morbidly fascinating in its own right, but the recent sight of the tortured DMN beast gnawing off its own limbs one after the other is becoming an outright adventure in Michael Vick entertainment. I’m almost ashamed to even read about it.

By: Bethany

Bethany — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:46:51 +0000

I never thought I’d say this, but I kind of agree with Roman.

Belo’s in no position to purchase anything right now – and shouldn’t. If management was ever going to consider employee morale, that would be the time to do it – announcing you need to shed 500 employees and then purchasing another set of newspapers would send already low morale lower.

That being said, newspapers continue to be profitable – just not at as big a margin as previous years. However, the product that profit is dependent on can’t be maintained quality-wise, so profit margins will continue to shrink.

But yeah, the finger-bum equation is pretty much dead on.

By: Roman

Roman — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:37:37 +0000

Belo can’t get figure out
how to get their finger out of their ass.

They can’t make a big metro newspaper profitable. What makes you think they can buy anything at this point? Especially, with all the layoffs, buyouts, and loss of ad revenue.

By: BeloEx

BeloEx — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:17:41 +0000

This could be a great set of properties to buy for either AH Belo or Hearst.

By: DFWMediaWatcher

DFWMediaWatcher — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 23:15:25 +0000

Maybe Wick will buy the Texas papers. Then the readers in Austin, Waco, Longview et. al will get top 10 pretty people or top ten shoe salesmen or top 10 florists!

By: gs1s

gs1s — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:40:09 +0000

Blame those danged internets.

By: Sal

Sal — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:00:22 +0000

Alternate headline:

“Big Cox Expects Shrinkage”

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:57:29 +0000

Indeed…if someone wanted to grow a Texas newspaper empire the papers in Waco, Longview, Marshall, Lufkin and Nacogdoches are for sale as well as Austin.