After 112 Years of Business, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Stops Printing

The Hearst Corporation, owner of Seattle's Post-Intelligencer, has decided to shut down the company and no longer print newspapers citing the fact that it was hard for even a single newspaper to make a profit. The Seattle Times will remain in operation. The two papers have been sharing operating expenses for circulation, distribution, printing, and advertising in the area since they signed a Joint Operating Agreement. Subscribers to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and advertisers in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer will automatically convert to receiving the Seattle Times services. Did competition drive the Seattle Post-Intelligencer out of business?

As I write this article, I searched for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer website and found only "ERROR". This means not only has the area lost a newspaper, but we've lost some of the life on the internet. With costs driving many businesses into bankruptcy around the country I can't blame the Hearst Corporation for their decision. I believe that competition played a part, but not just from the Seattle Times. The growth of such companies like Associated Content and the newly started Examiner contributes just as heavily.

From my knot hole in the region, I saw the difference between the Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer as being marginal. My dad always bought the Seattle Post-Intelligencer because he wanted his paper in the morning to read over his coffee at the Boeing company before work started. I don't much like mornings so I appreciated receiving my paper in the afternoon as a way to relax after work. The selections of comics made a difference to us kids growing up, but now I like any humor and am glad to see the Seattle Times picking up the comic strips that the Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran. Yet, somewhere inside I know, if they pick the best comics from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, what will happen to the marginal ones? And what will happen to the new comic strips trying to get known. That's what loss of competition means.

Editors do play a role in selecting whose voices get sponsored and whose do not. They can decide on content rich articles or on articles that fit the niche because it needed to be filled regardless of content. They can decide on what opinions are exposed and which do not get exposed based on politics, audience, and sales of advertising. Even as the news moves onto the internet, the same basic equations still play a role in the operations of a company.

On the other hand, writers in the community still have a role to play. If Seattle writers do the job, their voice will get heard.

Change happens in every industry. In the newspaper industry, paper copy is of less interest anymore. We all feel guilty for having to recycle something we didn't even glance at. Advertisers have to choose where they feel their product will be noticed. Of less importance also is delivery time of the news. Good content will continue to get hits long after a hot story comes and goes. But getting the hot story when it hits the pages is also important, not only to the newspapers but to the writers and to the advertisers. What gets read is what is in print. Get there first, get the facts, and have something clear to say is bound to be the motto for the future.