If you want coverage in the Rocky Mountain News, you might consider pitching reporters at the Boulder Daily Camera, the Colorado Springs Gazette, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel and the Associated Press. The Rocky’s recent staff cuts, combined with its article-sharing agreements with other Colorado newspapers, means that as much as 40 percent of its local news is generated by reporters not at the paper.
Category: Rocky Mountain News
KMGH/Channel 7’s Steve Saunders Engaged
Those of us who’ve been around Denver for a while remember with sadness the death of Emmy award-winning television producer Pam Saunders. Saunders was the wife of KMGH/Channel 7 anchor Steve Saunders (and daughter-in-law of former Rocky Mountain News television columnist Dusty Saunders). Bill Husted at the Denver Post reports that Steve has become engaged and will marry this summer.
Chipotle vs. PETA
Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold is dealing with an issue no public relations person wants to handle: PETA. Although Chipotle is recognized as a leader in the fight against the traditional farming practices of micro-pens, antibiotics and hormones, PETA has an issue with how the restaurant’s chickens are killed “processed.”
Journalists Regaining Their Faculties …
The continued death spiral for traditional daily newspapers such as the Post and News has been a gold mine for the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the school recently has snagged three Pulitzer prize winners.
Why the Colorado Press Awards Are Like the Special Olympics
Everybody wins! You’d think it would be hard not to win a lot when you are one of only three entrants and there are literally dozens of categories of awards, but that hasn’t stopped the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News from going into overdrive to congratulate themselves. Westword has the details here and here.
The DNA Knows How to Bury Stories at the End of the Week Too
David Milstead at the Rocky has the latest Denver Newspaper Agency (DNA) numbers. Overall, it’s not good. Revenue for Q4 2007 dropped nearly 11 percent to $94.3 million. The DNA, attempting to put lipstick on the pig, points out that the 11 percent decline was less than the 12 percent decline the previous quarter.
Denver Newspaper Defections Expand Beyond Reporting Ranks
To date, the mass exodus from the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post has largely been limited to reporters, but the departures continue and now include titles such as Web developer. It’s bad enough to lose reporters to PR firms, but when you begin losing your staff to the likes of photobucket.com, it is clear that the challenges facing newspapers are unlike anything they’ve faced before.
Post Editor: Stop Gossiping About the Rocky Shutting Down
The rumors sweeping through the Denver Post yesterday speculated that the Rocky Mountain News is in such dire shape that it will either shut down or move to an online-only format soon. How pervasive were the rumors? So much so that Post editor Greg Moore had to distribute a memo to staff telling them to knock it off.
From The Kenney Group to the Colorado Crush?
The Rocky Mountain News profiles former Mullen High School and University of Miami Quarterback Ryan Clement as he takes what may be his last chance at playing pro football. Clement, who earned a law degree, currently works for The Kenney Group, a Denver firm that specializes in strategic political and government communications services.
DIA to Offer Carbon Offsets to Flyers
Denver International Airport hopes to have carbon-offset kiosks installed by August to help guilty flyers feel better about the environmental effects of their travels. Under the plan, passengers could input their flight information to calculate how much in offsets would be required to erase their carbon footprint.
Colorado Lags in Venture Capital Growth
Venture capital investments in Colorado dropped by almost $100 million in 2007, according to a David Milstead piece in the Rocky Mountain News. The 15 percent Colorado decline runs counter to the national trend of a 10 percent increase in venture capital funding.
Post, News Report Circulation Drops of 12 Percent
The Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News reported sharp declines in their paid circulation, largely due to a cutback in their practice of distributing free or sharply discounted copies to boost sales numbers, according to the Denver Business Journal.
Staff Departures Continue at Post, Rocky
Westword has the latest scoop on the continued departures of staff from the Post and Rocky. Among them:
- Julia C. Martinez, reporter, Denver Post
- Ivan Moreno, reporter, Rocky Mountain News
- Fernando Quintero, reporter, Rocky Mountain News
- Sarah Huntley, assistant city editor, Rocky Mountain News
Upset Brewing …
The Denver Post’s Bill Husted pulls ahead of the Rocky’s Penny Parker in the “Most 2008 Wendy Aiello Mentions” horse race this morning. Sure, he tried to sneak it by us by referring to her as Wendy DeHaven, but we all know who she is. To date, that puts Husted on pace for a staggering 67 “Wendy” mentions in 2008; Parker, who was the heavy favorite to win the award, is only on pace for 33.
Denver’s Tech Crowd Heads to Vegas
Denver Post technology reporter Kimberly Johnson is blogging from CES in Las Vegas this week, as is Jeff Smith at the Rocky Mountain News. Both can expect to see a number of fellow Denverites from tech companies such as Case Logic, Hopscotch and Pentax Imaging, as well as from tech agencies such as VisiTech.
Penny Parker on Pace for 365 “Wendy Aiello” Mentions in 2008
Rocky Mountain News columnist Penny Parker‘s love affair with “PR princess” Wendy Aiello continues. Denver PR Blog has set the over/under on Penny’s “Wendy” mentions at 25 for the year.
Convention Bureau’s Scharf Named Businessperson of the Year
The Rocky Mountain News has named Richard Scharf, head of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, as its “Businessperson of the Year.” He gets the nod because of the “bureau’s performance with Scharf at the reins,” according to the Rocky. Among his successes: record numbers of conventions in Denver for three years running, successfully pushing for a lodging tax to double the bureau’s annual marketing budget to $15 million, and improvements to the bureau’s internal culture.
The runners-up for the award were Mitch Ackerman of the Service Employees International Union’s Colorado Council, Tom Marisco of Marsico Funds, Charlie Monfort of the Colorado Rockies, and Auden Schendler of Aspen Skiing Co.
Denver Public Relations Blog 