David Brauer at MinnPost posted this story yesterday about the Star Tribune’s efforts to offer buyouts to some of its high profile talent. According to Brauer’s report, columnists Nick Coleman, Katherine Kersten, cartoonist Steve Sack and others might be included among those offered buyouts. Here is a follow up that includes the memo. And he later speculated about the inclusion of columnists James Lilecks and C.J. in the buyout talks.
For Minnesota media, this is like watching a powerful sports team accept the term “rebuilding year” but also knowing they traded all their draft picks for candy and moonshine. The Star Tribune will soldier on, as will other big newspapers, but the industry is increasingly unable to pay for expensive talent — the kind of thing that comes from being provocative or good. The business will be filled by smart, well-meaning people who work hard for less money and without the time or resources they need to improve the newspapers they work for or deeply understand the communities they write for. They will all be fired eventually and write blogs for which they will not be paid.
But I’m all ears if you can figure a way this turns out better.
The RedStar has been in a slow death spiral for years. The bias of the “news” paper has been pointed out regularly. There are bloggers that specifically point out the fishwrapper’s bias.
Has the RedStar resumed paying its bills? Last I heard was they just stopped paying. Maybe they are holding out for a bailout?
The only reason the RedStar is still in business is that they are one of the last two twin cities major papers left.
They might have a chance to survive if they actually made an effort to report the news without their obvious liberal bias.
“The business will be filled by smart, well-meaning people who work hard”
Yeah, just like the radio business was after shunning all their decent workers.
They’re seriously trying to buyout Lileks?? He’s the only reason anyone reads the paper anymore.