San Jose Mercury News
Things haven't been going well over at the Mercury News. The Silicon Valley is still recovering from the burst .com bubble and newspapers on a whole are hurtin' because of online competition -- and new consumer habits. Now it appears that the paper, one of California's oldest, is back on the market. Everyone thought that once the Knight Ridder sale was over that things would stabilize. But the new owners of the chain want to sell off the less profitable assets. So the Merc is on the block.
If I weren't already tied up with so many other projects I'd probably buy it -- at least for nostalgia sake. I got my start as a media mogul with that paper. For four years, until I was 16-years-old, I got up at 4:30 a.m. every day to deliver to the 80 customers on my route. Then I graduated to selling photos ("cuts") to them and occasionally a story. And now look where I am! :-) It's so tempting to take in an orphan -- especially one so familiar.
2 comments:
I wouldn't mind you making a bid for the Mercury. Someone needs to buy it that cares at least a little bit about the employees. I've worked here for 19 years and have my feet firmly planted in mid-air. Hopefully Dean Singleton's MediaNews Group won't be the buyers. One bay area paper that suffered MNG's wrath was the Oakland Tribune. It was a union paper and MNG bought it, fired everyone and started from scratch. I'm praying that doesn't happen!
I'm curious as to when and what area you had a route with the Mercury. I've been a district manager since 1988. Could you have thrown papers for me?
Loved the Guam pics. I was stationed there between 1985-86 when I was in the Navy. Beautiful place!
Stop by my blog sometime!
"I've been a district manager since 1988. Could you have thrown papers for me?"
Not likely -- I threw papers in the Willow Glen area from '68-'72 -- or thereabouts. Back then it was a lot colder in the morning -- and the papers were heavier -- and we had to collect door-to door -- monthly. And we walked to school five miles each way -- up hill both ways.
Back then it was also the San Jose Mercury. The San Jose News was an afternoon paper -- back in the good 'ole days. :-)
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