A few quotes from Black

David Black was in town Monday to discuss operations with the Beacon Journal’s staff and managers. There were no closeup photos with Gloria Irwin’s story on the business front which was headlined “Beacon Journal buyer is focused on growth.”

A 3 X 4" photo of Black in the press room was used with the story and another 4 X 5" photo with the throw showed mostly the side of the building with Black, production veep Andrea Matthewson and three others unidentified walking along in miniature.

There’s not much to report. Irwin said as Black walked through the building he stopped often to meet and talk with employees. Retirees were not invited. Library clerk Diane Leeders was impressed. “Yeah. I got to shake his hand,” she exclaimed to co-workers. She said she had never met Tony Ridder.

Probably the most revealing quote from Black was in the last sentence of the story. “Knight-Ridder probably did need a shake-up,” he said.

Knight Ridder will cease to exist around June 27, but “the papers aren’t gone,” Black said.

Other quotes from Irwin’s story:

If you can’t do something good with this paper, you shouldn’t be in the business.

We have to do something about (profitability). Hopefully we’ll grow it.

Discussing a failed bid to buy the Philadelphia Inquirer and News , Black said, “Those editorial rooms need to be downsized. Costs have to be trimmed.”

In a related story, a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) document filed by McClatchy on Monday revealed plans to sell the last five Knight Ridder papers for $450 million, according to Editor & Publisher.

Black Press has agreed to pay $165 million in cash for the Beacon Journal. The News-Sentinel in Fort Wayne, Ind., under a joint operating agreement, was acquired for $92.6 million by Ogden Newspapers. Schurz Communications will buy the American News in Aberdeen, S.D., for $28 million in cash. Forum Communications will pick up the Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune and the Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald for $70 million and $65 million respectively.

Only one paper, The Times Leader in Wilkes Barre, Pa., remains on the block.

Click on the headline to read Irwin’s story.