The New York Times and others are reporting that Knight Ridder has sold to McClatchy.
Just a note from my Internet-focused brain: Every article I read that says something like “with the future of print newspapers in question” or “with declining print circulation” grossly overlooks the fact that Knight Ridder Digital, the online section of KR’s newspaper company, has been posting rising profits for years.
Every time a journalist writing about the KR sale story leaves that out, they’re missing a key angle. McClatchy didn’t just buy 32 newspapers in 29 towns, it bought a huge, standardized, web presence with plenty of ad sales and traffic.
It seems pretty simple to me. If you’re writing a story after 2001 about the sale of a large media company, their online product should be in your lead.
Ryan Sholin 