For Three Papers, Three Owners in One Year -- And Counting

By: Joe Strupp While the pending sale of Knight Ridder newspapers to McClatchy promises at least some upheaval for all 32 dailies involved, for three of them it's deja vu all over again. That's because The Olympian of Olympia, Wash.; The Bellingham (Wash.) Herald; and The (Boise) Idaho Statesman, were each sold just six months ago.

In August 2005, the trio were part of Gannett Co. Inc. and were sent to Knight Ridder in the blockbuster sale of the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News. As part of the swap, Gannett sold the Olympian, Herald, and Statesman to Knight Ridder. With the McClatchy deal expected to be completed by July 1, each of those dailies will have had three different owners in less than a year.

"The logistics of it is a nightmare," said Dan Popkey, a Statesman columnist and 21-year veteran of the paper. "The changing health benefits, retirement -- and we're going through it again. I've got kids to think about so I am not looking forward to it. "He also pointed to a recent redesign and zoning realignment started under Knight Ridder that he hopes McClatchy will not halt.

Statesman Managing Editor Bill Manny offered similar angst at the thought of changing owners again so soon. "It is a hassle people would rather not have to deal with. Doing it twice is harder than doing it once," he declared. Statesman Publisher Mike Petrak agreed that any transition offers difficult changes, especially two so close together. "We understand that people have to change health plans, I.T. systems, and there is an anxiety you have to lessen," he says of the repeat ownership change. "Any transition is disruptive."

A local alternative paper, The Boise Weekly, described the paper as being "passed along like so much bird flu."

In Washington, Herald Publisher Glen Nardie said yet another changeover is "very tedious and a lot of work ... We are still in the transition phase from Gannett to Knight Ridder, for business systems and that sort of thing," he said. "The original plan was for it to take 18 months. We will have to transition again."

John Winn Miller, publisher of the Olympian, called a repeat disruption "a little exhausting ... We have a whole new accounting system and reporting system and that will have to change again," he lamented. "We are a little anxious about it."

Executive Editor Julie Shirley, a two-year Herald employee, said she is already hearing it from readers and local business owners who take their newspaper as more than a product to purchase. "People like a continuity," she said, adding that her fellow members of the Rotary Club offered concerns at a recent meeting. "People who come into the office are also asking about it."

But both Shirley and Nardie said the last ownership change might help in some ways with the latest shift. "In a lot of ways it will be easier because we have recently transitioned," notes Nardie. "We kind of know what to do. There is rhythm to transition that makes it easier."

Back at The Olympian, Political Editor Brad Shannon said the fact that this sale was in the works for a while made it a bit easier to take than the previous change, which was announced without warning. Photo Editor Steve Herppich said the staff is just staying positive with something that is out of their control. "I think we are just rolling with it and hoping for the best," he said. "We are optimistic."