Media Mutt Blog Archive April, 2009
No Deal — Yet!
Submitted by Al Diamon on Thu, 04/30/2009 - 12:26pm.Contrary to what I reported yesterday, Pennsylvania newspaper publisher Richard Connor will not be completing his purchase of the Blethen Maine Newspapers today. The problem – as it has been for the last nine months – appears to involve money.
The Blethen Deal is Done
Submitted by Al Diamon on Wed, 04/29/2009 - 12:05pm.Pennsylvania newspaper publisher Richard Connor is set to make an announcement on April 30 that he has secured the necessary financing and is closing on his purchase of the Blethen Maine Newspapers. Two sources familiar with the negotiations agree that the sale will go through, although they could not reveal the exact terms, including the price Connor and his partners will pay.
Wrong Word, Wrong Number
Submitted by Al Diamon on Mon, 04/27/2009 - 12:40pm.Definition attrition: Apparently, all the dictionaries have been removed from the newsroom at the Lewiston Sun Journal. On April 22, staff writer Rebekah Metzler (and several readers of this blog) demonstrated they had no clue what “specifically” means.
Two days later, sports reporter Kevin Mills came up with this gem:
Separation of Fact and Fiction
Submitted by Al Diamon on Thu, 04/23/2009 - 10:32am.
Unconstitutional: If a front-page story on April 22 is any indication, Lewiston Sun Journal staff writer Rebekah Metzler and her editors need remedial help in math and history.
Not to mention journalism.
Correction Misdirection
Submitted by Al Diamon on Tue, 04/21/2009 - 1:46pm.Error message: On April 15, the Kennebec Journal ran a story with the headline “Senator seeks a road to nowhere.”
The story was a straightforward piece of reporting that didn’t justify such a provocative bit of editorializing. It said state Sen. Troy Jackson of Allagash wanted to use federal stimulus money to fund an extension of Interstate 95 north of Houlton into the rest of Aroostook County.
Blethen Sale Almost Final?
Submitted by Al Diamon on Fri, 04/17/2009 - 12:04pm.The end is near: Pennsylvania newspaper publisher Richard Connor could be the owner of the Blethen Maine Newspapers by the end of next week.
Or the beginning of the following week.
Or …
Connor may be getting close to the goal he set when he publicly announced his intention to buy the Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel and other Blethen properties last July. He’s told several people this week that he’s secured the necessary financing to complete the purchase.
Bonus Blues
Submitted by Al Diamon on Mon, 04/13/2009 - 1:54pm.The 10 percent solution: The economic downturn has reached all the way to the executive suites at Michigan-based Saga Communications. Company big shots have had their bonuses reduced by 10 percent.
Meet the Son of Munjoy
Submitted by Al Diamon on Fri, 04/10/2009 - 9:20am.
Meet the Son of Munjoy.
The new blog by the alleged offspring of the pseudonymous Thomas Cushing Munjoy appeared recently (it’s hard to tell exactly when it started because Sonny doesn’t date each post on his homepage). He claims to be carrying on, and expanding upon, the mission of the original Munjoy, the recently departed critic of the Portland Press Herald and its owners, the Blethen family.
Blogged Out
Submitted by Al Diamon on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 1:06pm.Westward ho: Pseudonymous blogger Thomas Cushing Munjoy has again taken leave of his self-appointed role as arbiter of all things Portland Press Herald.
This time, he swears it’s for good.
Two Weeklies Close
Submitted by Al Diamon on Mon, 04/06/2009 - 10:51am.Less Independent: The rumors of major cutbacks at the Independent Publishing Group in Windham turned out to be true.
