Last Day for the Rocky

With today's edition, the Rocky Mountain News in Denver ceases publication.

The newspaper was closed by Scripps after the company lost $16 million in 2008 and was unsuccessful in finding a buyer. "Rocky silenced 55 days short of 150th birthday," the newspaper said on its front page. In a commemorative wrap, the newspaper bid "Goodbye to Colorado" in a note framed by an image of the Rocky's first edition in 1859. The Rocky's Web site features a collection of front pages.

The closure leaves Denver with one newspaper, The Post, which devoted three-quarters of today's front page to the "sudden end to a good friend." In 2001, the Rocky and the Post joined forces in a joint operating agreement.

In writing its obituary, the Rocky described its past: "The Rocky was founded in 1859 by William Byers, one of the most influential figures in Colorado history. Scripps bought the paper in 1926 and immediately began a newspaper war with The Post. That fight ebbed and flowed over the course of the rest of the 20th century, culminating in penny-a-day subscriptions in the late '90s. Perhaps the most critical step for the Rocky occurred in 1942, when then-Editor Jack Foster saved it by adopting the tabloid style it has been known for ever since. Readers loved the change, and circulation took off."

But the Rocky's editor, John Temple, wrote today about current circulation and advertising challenges and "Why Denver can't support two newspapers."

In its goodbye note, the Rocky looked back at its history and ahead to the unknown future of news: "To have reached this day, the final edition of the Rocky Mountain News, just 55 days shy of its 150th birthday is painful. We will scatter. And all that will be left are the stories we have told, captured on microfilm or in digital archives, devices unimaginable in those first days."

Future for Front Page? It's All in a Little Magic

Circulation is declining, and free content on the Internet is booming. But yet, few things can be as personal as a newspaper front page.

Sometimes the front page is predictable. Often it’s overly gloomy. And in too many cases, it’s inconsistent.

But every day it has an opportunity to touch people by:

Sharing what people are talking about: “They never thought they’d see the day,” the Detroit Free Press said today about African-Americans’ feelings about Barack Obama’s run for the White House.

Seeing the big picture: With its state in an economic crisis and its governor in a scandal, the Las Vegas Sun examined the state of the state: “Nevada Turns 144, But What’s To Celebrate?” But not forgetting important details: The San Francisco Chronicle pursued police documents that showed “Missed opportunities hours before slaying” of the editor of the Oakland Post.

Looking beyond the headlines: In a different kind of election story, The Denver Post reported on “A risky conversation.” Said the Post: “Politics naturally divides people, but this election cycle has highlighted the divide. Now, simply talking about the presidential candidates seems like a wedge issue.”

Providing news that readers can’t get anywhere else: The News Journal of Wilmington, Del., noted that late Wednesday night its city matched the record for the number of homicides in a year. And owning what they know: “Shuttle set for Nov. 14 liftoff,” said Florida Today in Melbourne, which swamps the space beat.

Writing good headlines: “We Shopped Till We Dropped,” the Star Tribune of Minneapolis said in summarizing GDP data. “Plumb Job,” said the New York Post with a photo of Joe the Plumber on the campaign trail. And in writing a label headline that actually works, the Houston Chronicle described the path of a high school football team: “From Cream Puff to Cinderella.”

Presenting good stories and images: In an eye-catching “To Catch a Cyber-Thief” presentation, the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton, Wash., said: “A Bainbridge Island couple recovered a stolen $2,700 bicycle through sting tactics – online and with police.”

Taking a different look: Halloween stories are everywhere today, but The Post-Crescent of Appleton, Wis., breathed new life into a stale story with Rob Kaiser’s “Houdini works his magic” column about “Legendary artist offers lesson on escaping troubles.” Harry Houdini, who lived in Appleton, died on Halloween 1926.

What will the future hold for the front page? Will it escape its troubles? To editors, I’d say: Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow, but don’t stop thinking about print.

Make me laugh. Make me cry. Move me to share my opinion. Move me to take action. Make me want to pick up tomorrow’s front page.

A Great Week for News

Denver newspapers wrapped up a week of non-stop political coverage with convention front pages chronicling Barack Obama's historic acceptance speech. "It was a great week to be doing news!" said Kathy Bogan, presentation director of the Rocky Mountain News. Newseum colleague Sharon Shahid wrote on Newseum.org that Obama fulfilled "a dream that was expressed exactly 45 years ago in an electrifying speech delivered by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as part of the March on Washington."

Conventional Wisdom

The Democratic National Convention is a local story for Denver, and its newspapers are covering the news with convention front pages in addition to their regular front pages. Monday's editions gave hints of what to expect this week.