Marimow: 'Inky' Woes Worse Than Those He Left at 'The Sun'

By: Joe Strupp After being fired nearly three years ago from his last newspaper job at The Sun in Baltimore, at least in part for objecting to that paper's budget-cutting approach, it is somewhat surprising that William Marimow would return to the newspaper business -- and to a paper likely in worse financial shape than the one he left.

But Marimow, appointed this week to replace Amanda Bennett as editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, seems to believe the best reason to return to the newspaper business is to help such an economically-struggling paper make it. Especially when it's in his hometown.

Marimow points out that the Inquirer's need for cutbacks is far greater than what he left at The Sun in January 2004. While he stopped short of criticizing his former employers in Baltimore for their cost-cutting moves, he hinted that the reductions he faces in Philadelphia are clearly more of a necessity for the paper to survive.

"When I was fired, The Sun had profit margins that I believe exceeded 20%, robust profit margins; The Sun did not have debt to pay off, and The Sun was backed by an 11-paper national news organization which provided a ton of content," he said. "The Inquirer is in a period of declining revenue and reduced profit margins; the new owners have a major debt service to pay off; and the Inquirer no longer has the resources of Knight Ridder to buttress the content."

Saying he believes the new owners, Publisher Brian Tierney and Philadelphia Newspaper Holdings, are "really committed to having an excellent paper for the long-term," Marimow stressed that the paper had to change in order to live within its means. Part of that includes his recent prediction that it would cut back original national and foreign reporting and focus more on local efforts.

"I have come to believe that a newspaper has to tailor its mission to the resources that are available," Marimow, 59, said. "I don't think a newspaper like the Inquirer can sustain a network of national and foreign bureaus. But if the mission is defined as being the absolute authoritative source on Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania suburbs, and South Jersey, it can do it."

After leaving The Sun following a 10-year stint, Marimow took the post of managing editor/news at National Public Radio in May 2004, later rising to vice president for news. He switched posts just last month to became NPR ombudsman, before agreeing to the Inquirer job.

When asked why he would return to the cost-cutting world of newspapers, and especially a paper so obviously slated for downsizing, Marimow said it was the draw of his hometown.

"The Inquirer is really where I learned to be a reporter and be an editor and where I met the journalists who have been most influential on my life," said Marimow, a Philadelphia native and former longtime Inquirer reporter and editor who worked at the paper from 1972 to 1993. "I've got a ton of friends there."

Marimow said he was interested in the job soon after the paper was sold last summer. He recalled going to see the movie "Invincible" last August, about former Philadelphia Eagle Vince Papale, which was filmed with numerous Philadelphia images. "It really piqued my interest when Brian Tierney and his partners bought the Inquirer," he said. He also praised Bennett and her staff for "putting out an excellent paper under trying circumstances."

But has Marimow allowed his nostalgia for his former paper, and hometown, to cloud the reality of the situation? After all, the Inquirer he last worked for -- under the legendary Eugene Roberts -- is not the same one he will manage under new owner Brian Tierney.

He said nostalgia is not guiding his judgment, and vows to cut costs, but maintain quality. "My goal is to mitigate the pain and move swiftly to the point where the pain is diminished by great journalism," he said. "My belief is that, in this era, you have to formulate a mission that has to equate to the company. In the long term, The Inquirer can be the best newspaper its size in America."