Freedom Newspapers Files Bankruptcy!

[yippie]

These papers include.

Northwest Florida Daily News
Panama City News Herald
Destin Log
The Walton Sun

Freedom files Chapter 11 reorganization | chapter, reorganization, company - News - Northwest Florida Daily News
If anyone has seen some of the current headlines on the Daily News Website, this action does not surprise me at all.

 

[30A Skunkape]

Don't mess with my Spout Off!:angry:

 

[Lake View Too]

Does this mean that all the people than use to "spout off" in print will now come here to vent? Is there any way we can close the doors?

 

[TooFarTampa]

Several other newspaper companies are in bankruptcy too, and they continue to operate while in Ch. 11. Will be interesting to see how they restructure things.

Now can we all just agree that the collapse of the newspaper business has nothing to do with backlash against the "librul media bias" and everything to do with sinking ad budgets/craigslist/housing crash/Internet etc? (Freedom's papers have a famously conservative bent.) Thank you.

 

[scooterbug44]

I don't think the papers can just use the excuse of the internet etc. as to why readership and ads have declined.

Yes, it's a factor, but the lack of content and constant changing things around (the local paper I grew up with doesn't even print the comics in the same section each day FTLOC) and doing "features" and reprinting AP news instead of REPORTING on local events is what made me stop reading them.

 

[ChillPill]

My parents are in a small town in New England and the only local newspaper closed its doors a few weeks ago after running for 175 years. They and the older citizens of the county are devastated. The older folks do not have computers to access any news source at all ("local" news stations are 2+ hours away). A group of volunteers now reads press releases on the radio at 5pm every day for those folks. But still no reporters to report even City Hall news. I miss the daily online version, and will dearly miss reading the real paper when I go home to visit. It was a great family tradition to have coffee, chit chat and split up our favorite sections of the paper at the kitchen table. (And dont take too long reading that sports section before passing it along). I understand print is dead, but I sure will miss it.

 

[avalon]

The DFS Herald/ Beach Breeze is the logical alternative. Not that pretty to look at, but they actually cover local events. They have been around 100+ years!

 

[yippie]

I am weary of hearing people always blaming the economy for businesses going out of business.

Clearly, from reading the above post, this company would be out of business even in a booming economy because of their business practices.

We have as many businesses opening in this area that are closing. Plus, if everyone would stop watching CNN.....

We have had a great summer, many businesses record breaking, so out economy in this area is not nearly as affected as other areas.

The internet has affected print, but print is FAR from dead. That's for sure and especially in an area like ours.

The Daily News is not as conservative as it use to be. The new publisher is a lot more liberal. They have a poor selection os stories, such as Lady steals Man's Sex Toy, and an entire story dedicated to this man's stolen dildy (Yes, they used the word dildy), or a lady being arrested for using a can of air freshener.

The content of the local Daily News has giving it the reputation of a tabloid and nothing more.

Thanks for listening.

 

[DuneLaker]

I hope business picks up for them. Tom McLaughlin, Dusty Rickets and a few others at the Northwest Florida Daily Newspaper have written some very good investigative articles lately, such as legislative happenings and airport developments, that do affect us locally. Last Sunday's paper was great. Even with the internet, there is still a need for both the daily newspaper and the local weekly, imho.

 

[Teresa]

I don't look at a newspaper most days, but I enjoy reading the real paper about once a week. not that I get my news from many other sources - besides SoWal, now and then I'll look at news online, a bit from NPR here and there when in my car.. and a tiny bit from CNN. enough news for me.

but I honestly hope print is not really dead. Print is just so ingrained/traditional/always there when we need it. it will be very a strange world if/when it disappears.