Along with other newspapers that could not compete in the digital information explosion, the Rocky Mountain News printed its final edition and closed its doors on February 27, 2009. E.W. Scripps, owner the paper, announced on February 26 that it had failed to find a buyer for the paper.
History of the Rocky Mountain News
The Rocky Mountain News opened its doors on April 23, 1859, becoming Denver's first newspaper, beating the Cheery Creek Pioneer by 20 minutes. It was founded by William N. Byers, who hauled a hand press from Omana, Neb to Colorado by oxcart before Colorado was a state and Denver was a city.
In 1864 the newspaper survived a flood that swept away its building. It was sold to the E.W. Scripps Co. in 1926, to meet the competition of the Denver Post. By 1983, it had overtaken the Post in both daily and Sunday Circulation. The war between the two papers continued during the 1990's.
Readership Decreases and Losses Began to Occur
By 1999, the circulation at the News had already been sinking for seven years. The Post, now owned by MediaNews Group Inc, was also experiencing a shrinking circulation but it was doing better than the News. As the losses mounted, the two newspapers began sharing operating costs while keeping their newsrooms independent. It took effect on January 22, 2001.
The legacy of the Rocky Mountain News
During the years of its publication the newspaper won four Pulitizer Prizes for the photo coverage of the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School. In its long history the News covered the Civil War, Colorado statehood, the Ludlow Massacres, Columbine and the Oklahoma City bombing. During the last year, it celebrated its 150 years of coverage, reprinting news accounts of the past. It closed its door just two months short of its anniversary. At the time of its closing, it employed 230 reporters, editors and other employees in the newsroom.
The Rocky Mountain News joins other big city newspapers that have lost tens of millions of dollars during the last few years. The Hearst Corp. recently announced that it was considering selling or closing the San Francisco Chronicle and that it will be closing the Seattle Post-Intelligencer if it cannot find a buyer for that publication. Readership habits had changed and competition from the Internet hit the newspaper industry especially hard, eroding advertising, the primary resource for newspapers. It was a victim of the changes happening in the news industry.
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