Oklahoman sold to the Gatehouse Gang

Gatehouse fired Harry King, the longest tenured sports writer in Arkansas, via an email. He spent 50-plus years covering sports in the state for the AP, then the Donrey/Stephens/Gatehouse crew and didn't rate a phone call.

He was working as a stringer at that point for $75 per column. Seems Gatehouse couldn't afford him any longer.

 

At least with GateHouse, it sounds like you don’t find out you’re fired when your email login stops working. Unlike some other companies.

 

I read about Gatehouse doing buyouts at its relatively new property in Austin. Haven't seen that happen yet in West Palm Beach.

 

It'll happen eventually. They might merge the Daily News and Post. Why have two papers cover the same area?

 

The Daily News, which I worked for in 2007-2009 (and for a few years after that in a freelance capacity), has a small circ and just covers the town of Palm Beach and the society scene. It's printed on the white stock paper and has the nickname "The Shiny Sheet." It doesn't really compete with the big metro, the Post. Also, during the offseason, the Daily News is a twice-weekly.

 

OK. How could this prevent Gatehouse from not gutting it or merging with the Post?

 

Post is a real newspaper. Daily News is high-society fluff. Good luck combining that stuff.

 

We're talking Gatehouse. They'll look at the bottom line of the spreadsheet, lay X number of folks off and then the editor will have the cops reporter from the Post covering charity galas as well.

 

It's two discrete markets, though. The One-Percenters on the island don't want a real newspaper. They don't even want real newsprint because that dirty ink rubs off on their manicured fingers, which is why the Daily News is printed on the "Shiny Sheet" special stock. So I wonder how GateHouse could combine the two papers without losing the wealthy subscribers on the island.

 

I have never seen the Daily News but it appears to hit a much different market than the Post and hence would be difficult to merge. But Gatehouse will gut it.

 

Don't put it past GateHouse. Those bastards will find a way.

And, I'm sure, the rich people will be fine without a newspaper poking around their business.

 

Well, no worries there anyway. Have you seen it?

Palm Beach Daily News

GateHouse might find a way to gut it, but those islanders do expect their social scene to be covered every week.