for sale
Messenger-Post Newspapers is for sale.
This is like a sucker-punch to the solar plexus.
I’m not surprised. MPN was always on tenterhooks — a privately-owned newspaper amidst a field of nationwide competitors; e.g. Gannett.
What’s most depressing is it was an extremely good newspaper, much better than the dull pablum put out by the national chains.
MPN is a merger of the mighty Mezz and all the Wolfe (Post) weeklies. The Post papers, even under MPN ownership, are extremely successful, but the Messenger, a daily out of Canandaigua, continues to falter.
I always felt MPN became top-heavy after it bought Wolfe. The Messenger was a shoestring operation, competing against mighty Gannett, the Demagogue & Comical (Democrat & Chronicle) out of Rochester.
Gannett tried to cover news local to Ontario County (and Canandaigua), but was putrid compared to the Messenger.
This puts an end to the City-Editor’s plaint that the owners of MPN are making out like bandits.
The City-Editor — a guy named Tim Belknap (“Bell-NAP”), also a car-guy like me — and I have been carrying on an e-mail conversation ever since I retired.
He responds to every e-mail I’ve ever sent, although he’s also a Jehovah’s Witness.
He complained his reporters were underpaid, yet the owner was vacationing in the Adirondacks — an item that could be expensed,
Well, maybe so; but I always felt “Fearless-Leader” (my term, appropriated by all), the son of retired Messenger owner George Ewing, Sr., was being drawn and quartered.
Display advertising was going to the pennysavers, which have no news.
The Messenger excelled at news, but they couldn’t pay for it. Senior, who bought the Messenger in 1956, is now retired. But “Fearless-Leader” isn’t. He’s only in his 50s.
Most worrisome is the possible layoff of an incredibly good news-staff: Boss-Man (Bob Matson, Executive-Editor), K-Man (Kevin Frisch, Managing-Editor), and the so-called “Hasidic Jew” (Dave Wheeler, Houghton ‘91). Matson is also a Houghton-grad; 1981.
Other losses would be Queeny (Lenore Friend), the ‘pyooter-lady (Joy Daggett), and 400-pound Frank Brown. ‘Pyooter-lady, who I think the world of, is retirement-age, so I advised her to get out before she got canned.
Another tragic loss would be Kathie Meredith, the editor of Steppin’ Out, who Matson used to call the detail-queen. Frank Brown used to call her “Yo Meredith.” My Night-Spots were an integral part of S.O., but an abomination. —I was stretched too thin, but Kathie always thanked me profusely.
In response to the utterly predictable blustering from Boston that I put MPN out of business, I doubt it. In fact, I was the sort of employee the Messenger loved — massive output at little cost. As a stroke-survivor I couldn’t expect a viable income.
The Webmaster was the same way. Crippled by spina-bifida, and living with his parents, he couldn’t demand a living wage. “Shut up, and be thankful you have a job.”
Like me, the Webmaster was incredibly ornery — but not brain-injured. Despite being crippled, he had his pilot’s license.
Of course, MPN might be for sale for some other reason. Senior is retired and his wife dead.
But Junior wanted to make a go of it. Another relative owns an independent daily in New Hampshire.
As I said to Morgan Wesson last night, a stringer for the mighty Mezz, and fellow car-guy: “It’s a shame. Another independent voice gets stilled.”
My wife predicts independent Canandaigua National Bank will eventually sell out to a New York City bank.
This is like a sucker-punch to the solar plexus.
I’m not surprised. MPN was always on tenterhooks — a privately-owned newspaper amidst a field of nationwide competitors; e.g. Gannett.
What’s most depressing is it was an extremely good newspaper, much better than the dull pablum put out by the national chains.
MPN is a merger of the mighty Mezz and all the Wolfe (Post) weeklies. The Post papers, even under MPN ownership, are extremely successful, but the Messenger, a daily out of Canandaigua, continues to falter.
I always felt MPN became top-heavy after it bought Wolfe. The Messenger was a shoestring operation, competing against mighty Gannett, the Demagogue & Comical (Democrat & Chronicle) out of Rochester.
Gannett tried to cover news local to Ontario County (and Canandaigua), but was putrid compared to the Messenger.
This puts an end to the City-Editor’s plaint that the owners of MPN are making out like bandits.
The City-Editor — a guy named Tim Belknap (“Bell-NAP”), also a car-guy like me — and I have been carrying on an e-mail conversation ever since I retired.
He responds to every e-mail I’ve ever sent, although he’s also a Jehovah’s Witness.
He complained his reporters were underpaid, yet the owner was vacationing in the Adirondacks — an item that could be expensed,
Well, maybe so; but I always felt “Fearless-Leader” (my term, appropriated by all), the son of retired Messenger owner George Ewing, Sr., was being drawn and quartered.
Display advertising was going to the pennysavers, which have no news.
The Messenger excelled at news, but they couldn’t pay for it. Senior, who bought the Messenger in 1956, is now retired. But “Fearless-Leader” isn’t. He’s only in his 50s.
Most worrisome is the possible layoff of an incredibly good news-staff: Boss-Man (Bob Matson, Executive-Editor), K-Man (Kevin Frisch, Managing-Editor), and the so-called “Hasidic Jew” (Dave Wheeler, Houghton ‘91). Matson is also a Houghton-grad; 1981.
Other losses would be Queeny (Lenore Friend), the ‘pyooter-lady (Joy Daggett), and 400-pound Frank Brown. ‘Pyooter-lady, who I think the world of, is retirement-age, so I advised her to get out before she got canned.
Another tragic loss would be Kathie Meredith, the editor of Steppin’ Out, who Matson used to call the detail-queen. Frank Brown used to call her “Yo Meredith.” My Night-Spots were an integral part of S.O., but an abomination. —I was stretched too thin, but Kathie always thanked me profusely.
In response to the utterly predictable blustering from Boston that I put MPN out of business, I doubt it. In fact, I was the sort of employee the Messenger loved — massive output at little cost. As a stroke-survivor I couldn’t expect a viable income.
The Webmaster was the same way. Crippled by spina-bifida, and living with his parents, he couldn’t demand a living wage. “Shut up, and be thankful you have a job.”
Like me, the Webmaster was incredibly ornery — but not brain-injured. Despite being crippled, he had his pilot’s license.
Of course, MPN might be for sale for some other reason. Senior is retired and his wife dead.
But Junior wanted to make a go of it. Another relative owns an independent daily in New Hampshire.
As I said to Morgan Wesson last night, a stringer for the mighty Mezz, and fellow car-guy: “It’s a shame. Another independent voice gets stilled.”
My wife predicts independent Canandaigua National Bank will eventually sell out to a New York City bank.
posted by BobbaLew at 8:01 AM
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