As Usual, I Blame Rachael Ray

My inbox was filled this morning (okay, three messages) with folk providing links to this article, which indicates that one of the healthiest players in the newspaper market, The E.W. Scripps Company, may divest itself of its newspaper and newspaper-related businesses by perhaps 1) selling some of those businesses or, 2) separating that business and its bleak, downward, general-industry trends, from the rest of the Scripps businesses.

I'm no fiscal analyst, but it seems that what they're saying, generally, is that people are so high on Scripps holdings like the Food Network that allowing those businesses to operate as an offering without the crappy newspaper stuff dragging it down could help maximize those popular offerings' value. It would also help re-brand the company as a media offering because a greater percentage of its money and subsequent interest would come from the valuable assets.

The potential shame in this move would be two-fold: one, Scripps has quality newspaper holdings when compared to other newspaper holdings, so if they were actually sold one would imagine that likely being an overall minus. Two, the act of selling could itself add more instability to an unstable industry. Among Scripps' holdings that could feel the effect if the new policy is pursued -- although I'm not sure which way -- is big-time strip distributor United Media. The article points out potential roadblocks like inner company by-laws that may require newspaper ownership and the fact that such a deal hinges on the favored Scripps holdings continuing to rise in value.

No matter what happens, I think the general message remains that sizable shifts in the make-up of the newspaper business over the next few years, with a corresponding effect on the newspaper comic strip business, should surprise no one.
 
posted 2:10 am PST | Permalink
 

---

 
Daily Blog Archives
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
 
Full Archives