With the Hartford Courant Guild battling with Alden Global Capital – the present owners of the Hartford Courant – one must look to other markets and wonder if there is a different path that would better preserve and continue the legacy of the oldest continuously published newspaper.
In recent years there have often been reports of failed attempts to get local investors to buy the paper and save it from the hands of outsiders with no interest in the Courant’s mission or its importance as an institution in the community. It has also been said that the Courant might now be available at a price that is so low, it would not be out of a place “on the table outside your local bookstore.”
To prevent the Courant from becoming a ghost paper there are at least two models worth considering.
In Chicago, it appears a deal is almost done for Chicago Public Media to take over the Chicago Sun-Times.
In Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake Tribune went non-profit two years ago, allowing the paper to accept advertising and donations.
Any takers?
