Idawa: Seattle can barely support 2 newspapers and the only the way that it is achieved is with a complicated joint operating agreement (the Times actually prints the PI and does their ads and circulation). I am not surprised, in this day and age, that Cd'A is a one paper town. It is possible that the Cowles might want to sell the Spokesman, but I doubt it. I once heard Warren Buffet talk about R. Murdoch buying the WSJ where me mentioned that rich people love to own the paper where they live, love it. And he knows many rich people that hold onto their papers despite the losses just because they don't want to give up the prestige of owning the city's voice. I don't know if he right or not, but I think Warren has more insight into the rich than I do.

DFO: Many of us in the newsroom wondered the same thing, Idawa. In fact, it came up during a staff conference call with the downtown newsroom on Black Thursday. Editor Smith countered that newspapers don't trim and sell. They sell and then let the new buyer trim. The cuts, according to Smith, put the SR on solid footing for years to come. You can read an extended story re: Smith's state of the SR here.

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