Hearst CT is announcing a big move into Hartford County.
The company, which owns papers from Torrington to Danbury, through Fairfield County, New Haven and up to Middletown(an area described by some as Connecticut’s “fertile crescent”) is pushing into territory historically dominated by the Hartford Courant.
Hearst has announced plans to add 11 reporters, including a newsletter writer, an editor and two sales representatives. This very large addition of reporters, some focused on Hartford and other statewide stories, has the potential to dramatically tip the balance toward Hearst when it comes to determining the most influential news source in the state.
The news market in Connecticut has traditionally been divided geographically, with Hartford never dipping serious toes into New Haven or Fairfield County, and the southern half of the state never venturing north of Wallingford, except in the case of very big stories that cannot be ignored(think Sandy Hook, L’Ambiance Plaza, Mianus River Bridge, statewide elections, etc.).(Please start Tweeting your protestations over this generalization NOW).
The hiring of ten reporters, by a largely southwestern Connecticut based news organization to focus on Hartford and other statewide stories, represents a clear and direct effort to change the paradigm and capture as much of the Connecticut news audience as possible. The only part of the state left specifically untouched by this move would be eastern Connecticut, which is the least populous.
There has been a long-time rivalry in Hartford County between the Courant and the scrappy, tabloid sized, Journal-Inquirer based in Manchester. Both those papers have been facing severe challenges in recent years, including shrinking and demoralized staff. The decision by Hearst to aggressively move into Hartford represents a challenge, backed by a personnel investment that nearly fields a team as big as those remaining at the Courant and the JI. The move will obviously fuel speculation about whether Hearst can ever close a deal to buy either, or both of those papers.
There has never been a strategic move as big as this in the Connecticut news market since Al Terzi, on set in Hartford, tossed an orange to Pat Sheehan, on set in New Haven, to demonstrate that WTNH had just opened a Hartford bureau. Those were heady days.
