Salt Lake Tribune looks to go nonprofit

Salt Lake Tribune seeks to become a nonprofit ‘community asset,’ a first for a legacy newspaper

 

This is great news for people in that newsroom. That paper was/is on death’s door and now has a real chance to survive and even grow.

 

Pretty much all papers are nonprofit these days.

 

"And for a $100 donation, we'll send you a Utah Jazz tote bag."

 

Fredrick usually is a jerk, but this actually is an interesting idea. People tend to agree we need newspapers as watchdogs. So go ahead and print the paper and give it to everybody free for a week, but make those fishwraps as big as the old days or at least double the size of today's fishwraps. Have the carriers ask for donations. The paper is a gift and the payment is in donations. Suggest a donation of 80-100 a month. This is a much better idea than many of the others that have failed. Non profit it is!!

 

Lots of eyeballs are going to be on this experiment the next few years. But if you’re owned by a chain which is all about enriching Teh Sootz, you’re fucked.

 

I think the nonprofit status for all newspapers will come once they are bled as far as they can be bled by the major companies and their top suits who need better vacation homes. They will sell the newspapers for pennies to individuals ready to go the nonprofit route. Or the major companies will simply close the doors and reporters will take over, combine forces, and apply for nonprofit status, etc. Hopefully the donations from boomers will be enough to keep paying a select amount of reporters' and copy editors' salaries.

 

Paywalls and nonprofit watchdogs are the future of this industry. Hoping this experiment works out in SLC

 

BUMP ... they did it.

In historic shift, The Salt Lake Tribune gets IRS approval to become a nonprofit

 

Not a fan of this ...
Non-profits for a newspaper - esp. chains - is bad way to go.

 

Great move by that newspaper. I had a question ... my "guess" is that this would mean a TON of layoffs or people working for basically pennies. Am I correct in this thinking? I mean a nonprofit? How the heck are any "name" journos going to make over 30,000 a year at a nonprofit? I mean my guess is there will be no high paid people on staff, including Fredrick's hated "suits." Again, fill me in on this, but as a non profit, people are going to work for pennies, right? How can you justtify its nonprofit status if anybody's making serious money?? Thanks in advance for educating me.

 

Would not necessarily declare this a victory for journalism, as much I would love to be wrong.

NFL enjoyed non-profit status for years. Didn't keep them from paying Roger Goodell big bucks. Didn't keep owners from raking in countless millions.

There are an abundance of hospitals/health care systems operating as non-profits. Wait until you see what the CEO makes, what the dozens of "Vice Presidents" make. Worked in one market where we found out that no fewer than 10 executives for the same system were making seven figures, led by the CEO's $4-million-plus haul.

Check out executives at the United Way. Think they make small salaries to ensure that people who need help get it? Think again.

Non-profit status does not necessarily mean altruism. In too many cases, the tax-exempt status and exemptions from property taxes make them bigger predators that one might think.