'Savior' of Connecticut Papers Says Local Control Will Succeed

By: Joe Strupp Michael E. Schroeder, the incoming owner of two Journal Register dailies in Connecticut that were facing closure, says he can make them succeed by being a local operator.

Schroeder, whose background includes 15 years at Newsday and a stint running a failed Boston free weekly last year, plans to move from his Huntington, N.Y., home to an apartment near The Bristol (Ct.) Press and The Herald of New Britain by the end of the month.

"I am looking forward to being part of the community and rebuilding these newspapers," said Schroeder, 50, whose intent to purchase those two dailies was announced Wednesday. "I believe you have to be part of the community you are serving. You can't phone it in."

Schroeder is also purchasing three weekly publications from Journal Register, which will continue to own three other dailies in the state, including the New Haven Register.

"The bottom line is that I am not here to save the papers, I am here to allow the community to save them through readership and advertising support just like they always have," he said. "On the street and in the community, local management is going to make a difference here."

Although he praised Journal Register for working well with him to forge the pending purchase, he added that the company's distance as an out-of-state owner based in Pennsylvania made it difficult for them to run the papers: "I don't think that their head was in the game."

Schroeder said he will retain Executive Editor Marc Levy, who had edited both of the papers, as well as Journal Register's The Middletown Press. He did not foresee any other staff changes, but noted "I am not coming here to cut costs, but we are here to run a profitable business, not to spend money to spend it."

The two Journal Register papers drew national attention in recent months when the company declared they would be closed if a buyer could not be found. That prompted both state and local Connecticut officials to discuss some kind of economic aid, such as tax incentives, for any potential new owner.

Schroeder declined to comment on any specific government aid or tax breaks, noting he has spoken more with local Bristol and New Britain officials than state legislators. "At this point, we have gotten very enthusiastic handshakes," he said. "We haven?t asked for anything, but we are not counting on anything."

The new owner would not disclose his purchasing price or financing, saying only he has a silent investor.

Schroeder said he believed expansion on the web would also improve the products, adding "we wouldn?t be involved if we thought they did not have potential."