Chicago Sun-Times for Sale

What a load of crap. The Sun-Times, that is. Thirty years ago it was a great paper. No more. It's a shame, really. An Associated Press story tells us today that "Sun-Times Media Group Inc., parent of the Chicago Sun-Times, put the city's second-largest daily and 'any or all' of the company's assets up for sale Monday amid a crippling decline in advertising and revenue at its newspapers." This includes, of course, the News-Star. Excuse me; the late and now extinct News-Star. So they're laying off, firing, trimming, cutting. Oh but Chief Executive Officer Cyrus Freidheim is feeling no pain. CORRECTION: The News-Star is not actually dead, but will be reincarnated under the new ownership of the Oak Park-based Wednesday Journal Inc., which also purchased the Skyline and Booster newspapers. The best news is that ace reporter Lorraine Swanson will be an editor with the new News-Star. Swanson's byline was often the only one of the old News-Stars's front page, and she often dominated pages 2 - 4 as well. Wise move to keep Lorraine Swanson with the News-Star, and reason enough to get a subscription or keep your existing one. The AP story says he "touted the company's 'solid portfolio' of publications and Web sites, which he said deliver high-quality journalism and great value to advertisers." Huh? If it's such a "great value to advertisers," then why has the company suffered a "crippling decline" in adverstising revenues? If the journalism is so great, why aren't more people reading it? IF EVERYTHING IS SO DAMNED ROSY, MR. FREIDHEIM, WHY IS THE SUN-TIMES ON THE AUCTION BLOCK? READ THE WHOLE STORY...