A draft letter to Denver Post advertisers from the paper’s publishing arm anticipates the demise of the Rocky Mountain News and assures that readers of both will continue to get a daily newspaper.
The unsigned and uncirculated letter from the Denver Newspaper Agency assures advertisers that the closing of the News — noted to occur March 1, though an agency spokesman has said the date is nothing more than a placeholder — “will only minimally change our print and online audience.”
A spokesman for the DNA said the letter was merely a planning tool for communicating to advertisers should the News fold.
“Taken out of the context of the present newspaper situation, it’s just prudent business planning to prepare for different scenarios, something most businesses do every day,” spokesman Jim Nolan said.
“The dates in the letter are not real,” he added. “It’s merely a hypothetical, a contingency discussion.”
The letter says Rocky Mountain News subscribers would receive The Post, the first hint at what is to become of outstanding subscriptions. The News’ daily circulation is 210,000, but the letter says 13,000 of them already get The Post.
It’s also unclear who authored the draft. Nolan would not comment about any specifics in the letter, such as The Post honoring News home-delivery subscriptions.
Rocky Mountain News owner E.W. Scripps Co. put the paper up for sale in December and accepted bids through Jan. 16. The company has not disclosed whether any credible buyers surfaced nor has it provided any update on whether it would shutter the 149-year-old tabloid.
In lieu of a sale, the Cincinnati-based company said it would explore all its options. Industry analysts have said chances of a sale are slim.
The Denver Newspaper Agency was created in 2001 as part of a federally approved joint-operating agreement that was to last 50 years. The agency runs the circulation, business and advertising operations, but the papers’ newsrooms are kept independent and separate.
The DNA letter, with a new logo declaring the agency as the “publisher of The Denver Post,” proclaims the surviving newspaper to be a sure bet for advertisers.
“Even without the added readership of converted Rocky Mountain News subscribers, a single ad in The Denver Post will continue to reach more metro-area adults than any other Denver medium,” the letter states.
David Migoya: 303-954-1506 or dmigoya@denverpost.com
