Rocky Mountain News
Encyclopedia
The Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper
published in Denver, Colorado
, United States
from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company
from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427. From the 1940s until 2009, the newspaper was printed in a tabloid format.
Under the leadership of president, publisher and editor John Temple, the Rocky Mountain News had won four Pulitzer Prize
s since the year 2000. Most recently in 2006, the newspaper won two Pulitzers, in Feature Writing and Feature Photography. The News final issue appeared on Friday, February 27, 2009. The paper's demise left Denver a one-newspaper town with the Denver Post as the sole remaining large-circulation daily.
and before the city of Denver had been incorporated. It became Colorado's oldest newspaper and possibly its longest continuously operated business. Its first issue was printed on a printing press from Omaha, Nebraska
hauled by oxcart during the start of the Colorado Gold Rush
. That first issue was printed only 20 minutes ahead of its rival, the Cherry Creek Pioneer.
. In one crime fighting campaign the managing editor, John Arkins allowed some disrespectful comments about Smith's wife and children to be published and Smith assaulted Arkins with a cane, severely injuring the editor. The News continued its crusade to rid Denver of its most celebrated bad man which took nearly a decade to complete.
, resorted to gasoline
giveaways and other promotions in an attempt to boost circulation. By the early 1940s, the Rocky Mountain News had nearly died.
It was saved by then editor Jack Foster when he convinced Scripps to approve changing the newspaper from a broadsheet
format to a tabloid design. Foster reasoned that the new format would make it easier for readers to hold and navigate and would make advertising more affordable.
Foster's wife, Frances, introduced America's first "advice" column
, called Molly Mayfield. It became an instant favorite among readers and was soon adopted in many other newspapers, paving the way for advice columnists such as Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren
.
was formed. The new company ran all non-editorial operations of both papers, namely advertising and circulation, and is equally owned by the E. W. Scripps Company
and MediaNews Group
, which owns The Denver Post.
The two newspapers continued to publish separately (except during the weekends, when the Rocky Mountain News was published only on Saturday and The Denver Post only on Sunday; each newspaper had one page of editorials in the other paper's weekend edition) and maintained their rivalry.
Following the shutdown of the Rocky on February 27, 2009, the Post resumed seven-day-a-week publication.
, presented by the University of Denver
School of Communication and Daniels College of Business
, for his reporting on the dubious financing schemes of a Chattanooga, Tennessee
, developer who bought out a failed special district in Colorado and used it to issue tax-free bonds to pay for a new headquarters for the Federal Communications Commission
in Washington, D.C.
.
In 2000, the Rocky Mountain News photo staff was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography
"for its powerful collection of emotional images taken after the student shootings at Columbine High School
."
In 2002, the paper won more first-place awards than any other Western newspaper
In 2003, the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography
was awarded to the Rocky Mountain News photography staff "for its powerful, imaginative coverage of Colorado's raging forest fires." The paper also won the Colorado Press Association's General Excellence Award, the award for the best large daily newspaper in Colorado (for the eighth year in a row).
The photo and design staffs won 25 Society for News Design
awards, placed eighth in the world, and won nine National Press Photographers Association
Awards and six Pictures of the Year International Awards.
In 2006, Jim Sheeler of the Rocky Mountain News won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing
for his "Final Salute" special report, the story of a Marine major assigned to casualty notification and how he helps families with fallen relatives in Iraq cope with their loss. Todd Heisler won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography
the same year for his photos in the same special report.
The redesign was the result of new presses that allowed the newspaper to print about 25 percent faster than its old presses, at an average speed of 60,000 issues per hour.
investor from Texas who expressed interest, that potential deal foundered for reasons that included complications of the joint operating agreement.
On February 26, 2009, Scripps announced the newspaper would print its final edition the next day. Scripps said it will now offer for sale the masthead, archives and Web site of the Rocky, separate from its interest in the newspaper agency.
INDenver Times, now online, does not use the subscription model, instead depending on advertising for its revenue. Kevin Prebuld (co-founder), Brad Gray (co-founder), Ben Ray (co-founder), Steve Haigh (editor), and contributors Drew Litton and Ed Stein are the only remaining staff from the original venture. The site relies on 15 contributors and 6 "INSighters." On September 7, 2009, INDT.com unveiled a new website design, allowing readers to read the news in a more organized format.
On July 4, 2009, Steve Foster and several former Rocky Mountain News employees, launched a new venture known as the Rocky Mountain Independent. The new website used a three-pronged revenue strategy: advertising, subscription revenues, and outside contributors. Subscriptions cost $4.00 per month and yearly subscriptions were 50% for the first 3 months, at $24. The twelve owners of the website committed to working for free until the end of September 2009The website stopped publishing new content on October 5, 2009.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company
E. W. Scripps Company
The E. W. Scripps Company is an American media conglomerate founded by Edward W. Scripps on November 2, 1878. The company is headquartered inside the Scripps Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its corporate motto is "Give light and the people will find their own way."On October 16, 2007, the company...
from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427. From the 1940s until 2009, the newspaper was printed in a tabloid format.
Under the leadership of president, publisher and editor John Temple, the Rocky Mountain News had won four Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
s since the year 2000. Most recently in 2006, the newspaper won two Pulitzers, in Feature Writing and Feature Photography. The News final issue appeared on Friday, February 27, 2009. The paper's demise left Denver a one-newspaper town with the Denver Post as the sole remaining large-circulation daily.
First issue
The Rocky Mountain News was founded by William N. Byers and John L. Dailey along with Dr. George Monell and Thomas Gibson on April 23, 1859, when present-day Denver was part of the Kansas TerritoryKansas Territory
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Kansas....
and before the city of Denver had been incorporated. It became Colorado's oldest newspaper and possibly its longest continuously operated business. Its first issue was printed on a printing press from Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
hauled by oxcart during the start of the Colorado Gold Rush
Colorado Gold Rush
The Pike's Peak Gold Rush was the boom in gold prospecting and mining in the Pike's Peak Country of western Kansas Territory and southwestern Nebraska Territory of the United States that began in July 1858 and lasted until roughly the creation of the Colorado Territory on February 28, 1861...
. That first issue was printed only 20 minutes ahead of its rival, the Cherry Creek Pioneer.
Crime Fighter
In 1883 the newspaper took a stand against corruption and crime in Denver. One of their primary targets was city crime boss Jefferson Randolph Smith, alias "Soapy" SmithSoapy Smith
Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith II was an American con artist and gangster who had a major hand in the organized criminal operations of Denver, Colorado; Creede, Colorado; and Skagway, Alaska, from 1879 to 1898. He was killed in the famed Shootout on Juneau Wharf...
. In one crime fighting campaign the managing editor, John Arkins allowed some disrespectful comments about Smith's wife and children to be published and Smith assaulted Arkins with a cane, severely injuring the editor. The News continued its crusade to rid Denver of its most celebrated bad man which took nearly a decade to complete.
Jack Foster
The E.W. Scripps Company bought the Rocky Mountain News in 1926. The Rocky Mountain News and its competitors, including The Denver PostThe Denver Post
-Ownership:The Post is the flagship newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc., founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder. MediaNews is today one of the nation's largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers and more than 120 non-daily publications in 13 states. MediaNews...
, resorted to gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
giveaways and other promotions in an attempt to boost circulation. By the early 1940s, the Rocky Mountain News had nearly died.
It was saved by then editor Jack Foster when he convinced Scripps to approve changing the newspaper from a broadsheet
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
format to a tabloid design. Foster reasoned that the new format would make it easier for readers to hold and navigate and would make advertising more affordable.
Foster's wife, Frances, introduced America's first "advice" column
Advice column
An advice column is a column in a magazine or newspaper written by an advice columnist . The image presented was originally of an older woman providing comforting advice and maternal wisdom, hence the name "aunt"...
, called Molly Mayfield. It became an instant favorite among readers and was soon adopted in many other newspapers, paving the way for advice columnists such as Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren
Dear Abby
Dear Abby is the name of the advice column founded in 1956 by Pauline Phillips under the pen name Abigail Van Buren and carried on today by her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, who now owns the legal rights to the pen name....
.
The joint operating agreement
After a continued rivalry that almost put both papers out of business, the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post merged operations in 2001 under a joint operating agreement. Through the JOA, the Denver Newspaper AgencyDenver Newspaper Agency
The Denver Newspaper Agency is a publishing company in Denver, Colorado, which publishes the Denver Post, a daily newspaper owned by the MediaNews Group. From its inception in 2001 until Friday, February 27, 2009, the DNA was responsible for the non-editorial operations of both major newspapers in...
was formed. The new company ran all non-editorial operations of both papers, namely advertising and circulation, and is equally owned by the E. W. Scripps Company
E. W. Scripps Company
The E. W. Scripps Company is an American media conglomerate founded by Edward W. Scripps on November 2, 1878. The company is headquartered inside the Scripps Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its corporate motto is "Give light and the people will find their own way."On October 16, 2007, the company...
and MediaNews Group
MediaNews Group
MediaNews Group, based in Denver, Colorado, is one of the largest newspaper companies in the United States. It is privately owned and operates 56 daily newspapers in 12 states, with combined daily and Sunday circulation of approximately 2.4 million and 2.7 million, respectively...
, which owns The Denver Post.
The two newspapers continued to publish separately (except during the weekends, when the Rocky Mountain News was published only on Saturday and The Denver Post only on Sunday; each newspaper had one page of editorials in the other paper's weekend edition) and maintained their rivalry.
Following the shutdown of the Rocky on February 27, 2009, the Post resumed seven-day-a-week publication.
Awards
In 1999, Al Lewis of the Rocky Mountain News was awarded the Morton Margolin Prize for Distinguished Business ReportingMorton Margolin Prize for Distinguished Business Reporting
The Morton Margolin Prize for Distinguished Business Reporting is an award for reporting in business journalism published in a Colorado newspaper or magazine...
, presented by the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
School of Communication and Daniels College of Business
Daniels College of Business
The Daniels College of Business is one of twelve graduate programs at the University of Denver. Founded in 1908, the Daniels College of Business is the eighth oldest business school in the United States...
, for his reporting on the dubious financing schemes of a Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
, developer who bought out a failed special district in Colorado and used it to issue tax-free bonds to pay for a new headquarters for the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
In 2000, the Rocky Mountain News photo staff was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography
Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography
The Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography, has been awarded since 2000. Before 1968, there was only one photography category, the Pulitzer Prize for Photography, which was divided into the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography and feature categories...
"for its powerful collection of emotional images taken after the student shootings at Columbine High School
Columbine High School massacre
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
."
In 2002, the paper won more first-place awards than any other Western newspaper
In 2003, the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography
Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography
The Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography, has been awarded since 2000. Before 1968, there was only one photography category, the Pulitzer Prize for Photography, which was divided into the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography and feature categories...
was awarded to the Rocky Mountain News photography staff "for its powerful, imaginative coverage of Colorado's raging forest fires." The paper also won the Colorado Press Association's General Excellence Award, the award for the best large daily newspaper in Colorado (for the eighth year in a row).
The photo and design staffs won 25 Society for News Design
Society for News Design
The Society for News Design is an international organization for professionals working in the news sector of the media industry, specifically those involved with graphic design, illustration, web design and infographics....
awards, placed eighth in the world, and won nine National Press Photographers Association
National Press Photographers Association
NPPA is the acronym for the National Press Photographers Association, founded in 1947. The organization is based in Durham, North Carolina and its mostly made up of still photographers, television videographers, editors, and students in the journalism field...
Awards and six Pictures of the Year International Awards.
In 2006, Jim Sheeler of the Rocky Mountain News won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing
Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing
The Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing has been awarded since 1979 for a distinguished example of feature writing giving prime consideration to high literary quality and originality. The Pulitzer Committee issues an official citation explaining the reasons for the award.-List of winners and their...
for his "Final Salute" special report, the story of a Marine major assigned to casualty notification and how he helps families with fallen relatives in Iraq cope with their loss. Todd Heisler won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography
Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography
The Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography has been awarded since 1968 for a distinguished example of feature photography in black and white or color, which may consist of a photograph or photographs, a sequence or an album....
the same year for his photos in the same special report.
Redesign
On January 23, 2007, the Rocky Mountain News was redesigned to a smaller, magazine-style format. The redesign's features included more color pages and photographs, full-page photo section covers, a new masthead logo, and different page numbering from the previous design.The redesign was the result of new presses that allowed the newspaper to print about 25 percent faster than its old presses, at an average speed of 60,000 issues per hour.
The end
On December 4, 2008, E.W. Scripps & Co. put the News up for sale, with industry analysts saying the move was possibly a prelude to shutting down the paper. Although Scripps was contacted by one private equityPrivate equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
investor from Texas who expressed interest, that potential deal foundered for reasons that included complications of the joint operating agreement.
On February 26, 2009, Scripps announced the newspaper would print its final edition the next day. Scripps said it will now offer for sale the masthead, archives and Web site of the Rocky, separate from its interest in the newspaper agency.
INDenver Times and the Rocky Mountain Independent
On March 16, 2009, several former Rocky Mountain News staffers announced the development of a new on-line, real-time local newspaper. The plan for a new online newspaper, with a staff of about 30 journalists, needed 50,000 subscriber pledges before April 23, 2009, in order to start; if that subscription goal was met, the full INDenver Times website was scheduled to launch on May 4, 2009. On April 23, 2009, INDenver Times, the name for the proposed restart, reported that the premium content subscription model had gotten only 3,000 subscribers. The three co-founders said that they did not intend to continue the planned business model, and, instead, would create a less-staffed news site. Steve Foster and several former Rocky Mountain News journalists said that they believed that the original business model of a robustly staffed online alternative newspaper could succeed and were looking for new backers.INDenver Times, now online, does not use the subscription model, instead depending on advertising for its revenue. Kevin Prebuld (co-founder), Brad Gray (co-founder), Ben Ray (co-founder), Steve Haigh (editor), and contributors Drew Litton and Ed Stein are the only remaining staff from the original venture. The site relies on 15 contributors and 6 "INSighters." On September 7, 2009, INDT.com unveiled a new website design, allowing readers to read the news in a more organized format.
On July 4, 2009, Steve Foster and several former Rocky Mountain News employees, launched a new venture known as the Rocky Mountain Independent. The new website used a three-pronged revenue strategy: advertising, subscription revenues, and outside contributors. Subscriptions cost $4.00 per month and yearly subscriptions were 50% for the first 3 months, at $24. The twelve owners of the website committed to working for free until the end of September 2009The website stopped publishing new content on October 5, 2009.
See also
- Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970The Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970 was an Act of the United States Congress, signed by President Richard Nixon, authorizing the formation of joint operating agreements among competing newspaper operations within the same market area. It exempted newspapers from certain provisions of antitrust...
- List of defunct newspapers of the United States
External links
- Rocky Mountain News official website
- Denver Newspaper Agency official website
- Rocky Mountain News profile from the E. W. Scripps CompanyE. W. Scripps CompanyThe E. W. Scripps Company is an American media conglomerate founded by Edward W. Scripps on November 2, 1878. The company is headquartered inside the Scripps Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its corporate motto is "Give light and the people will find their own way."On October 16, 2007, the company...
website - Rocky Mountain News on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- In Denver Times, "a vision based on a 150-year tradition, where the spirit of the Rocky lives" (formerly I Want My Rocky, a WordPressWordPressWordPress is a free and open source blogging tool and publishing platform powered by PHP and MySQL. It is often customized into a content management system . It has many features including a plug-in architecture and a template system. WordPress is used by over 14.7% of Alexa Internet's "top 1...
blog from the "reporters, editors, photographers, web producers and everyone who brings you the Rocky")