Coverage moves to Business front

Coverage of the Beacon Journal sale moved today from page A1 to the Business front with two stories:

Private owners can be positive for newspapers
Analyst, editor say it helps to escape financial pressure of `Wall Street beast.' All 11 papers sold to private buyers

The story by Betty Lin-Fisher notes that the Beacon Journal is about to fall under private ownership for the first time in three decades. And that could be a good thing. Given the pressures from Wall Street and the evolving media competition from the Internet and other information sources, private ownership may be a good solution for journalism, say analysts and some in the industry. (Photos of PD editor Doug Clifton, retired publisher John Dotson, Merruill Lynch analyst Lauren Rich Fine and Jim Crutcheild.)

Go to the story

Dear Owner: Welcome to our proud paper, city
We hope your company will build on our strong past, steer us to a better future

Mary Etheridge, whose father was a former BJ editor, writes a “Dear David Black” letter extolling our virtures and hopes

Go to Etheride story