I was prowling through some old computer files in search of a particular photo and ran across these two short videos of photos taken during the struggle a decade ago to rescue the Honolulu Star-Bulletin from closure.
Those involved with recognize friends and colleagues, some who have died in the intervening years, many others no longer in the business of news.
This first video includes some of the major events following the September 1999 announcement that the Star-Bulletin would be closed.
Then there was November 9, 2000. The day David Black announced that his deal to buy the Star-Bulletin and keep publishng had finally been completed. There was a press conference outside the federal courthouse, champagne in the newsroom, and a celebration at Murphy’s.
No audio accompanies this second set of photos.
How things have changed in the decade since these events unfolded!
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Can’t we all just get along? Why so much hatred/bitterness/whatevers? Two newspapers in this town could not have lasted. It was a miracle it lasted as long as it did. Think about it…all of the arguments being made for one side or the other would be reversed if the SB just succumbed as it was expected to There’s NO question Gannett tried its best to run them out of Dodge. That has been well documented. If anyone thinks that the one newspaper town under Gannett would be pleasant you are sadly mistaken. Gannett took it on the chin for 10 years, they would have been eager to recover the lost profits as quickly as they could have. No question. Black lost a lot of money during that time frame as well. So that same eagerness exists for them as well. Get used to it. In the end, all of this nonsense about who had the better reporter staff and who REALLY won is irrelevant. The real winner is yet to be determined……and so it goes.Too bad we can’t just all move on and hope for the best for all concerned. It’s almost like we are cheering for the 4 or 5 hundred staff that are left for them to lose their jobs too so EVERYONE can be miserable.
There’s a pic of a button that says “SOS. No Monopoly”.
How ironic.
The years prior to the Black purchase were probably among the best for some of us. It was the time when the Bulletin swept the Pa’i awards and could determine it’s own path.
After Black bought the paper, consultants ruled the world, and much of the individual inventiveness that drove the paper toward new media was killed off.
Was fun while it lasted.
I think you put your finger on it.
“Was fun while it lasted.”
spot on, Dean, spot on. at last, some useful perspective! 🙂
Thanks for sharing the pics, Ian. Brought back some nice memories.
Rodney King-a lot of us former staffers on both sides understand business is business. But if Gannett and Black/OPI would just follow the rules, such as paying us our severance pay right away as is normally done, and treating Everyone with respect then all would be fine. But when they don’t act as they should we get have every right to point it out until they do!
FTS is right about that — the severence issue should have been ironed out before the merger, and Dept of Labor should have insisted on it.
I wonder why the unions have made ZERO noise about the severance issue?? Could it be that they are the ones holding the cash up because of frivilous grievances?? nah, no way,that just couldn’t be…I heard that those not in the unions received their severance a month or two ago. Probably wrong again.
Everyone knows it’s OPI that’s trying to weasel out of its severance commitment. They swore up and down that everyone would get paid but now that they see Gannett may be on the hook for some of it, they suddenly won’t stand behind their words.
A grievance does not stop the parties from coming to an agreement, so at ANY time OPI could put things in writing and settle everything overnight. They could pay severances at ANY time. They are trying to get away with not paying.
still waiting for the Star-Tizer to do something interesting. like i said before…
its like watching grass grow.