[Fort Collins, Colo.: Students fight GCI's interest in campus paper]Gannett is moving deeper into education-related markets: The Coloradoan in Fort Collins talked to Colorado State University on Tuesday about a "strategic partnership" to run the campus newspaper, The Rocky Mountain Collegian. "The Coloradoan had contacted us late last year . . . to talk about potential partnerships," spokesman Brad Bohlander told The Associated Press. "The university had not sought to sell the Collegian. . . . Today was in response to that, to set up the first meeting to see what they had to say."
Students protested, and the Collegian expressed alarm about the talks in a story today headlined: "Gannett eyes Collegian takeover."
Gannett has been expanding into the college and high school markets in recent years. Just this morning, USA Today announced a partnership with CSTV, an interactive collegiate sports media service that's part of CBS Sports. The newspaper will carry on its website several CSTV offerings, including CSTV XXL and GameTracker.
GCI's last digital deal was in October, when it bought a controlling stake for an undisclosed sum in the company that runs HighSchoolSports.net; it also sells scheduling software to high school athletics directors. Also last year, Gannett bought the student-run newspaper at the University of Central Florida, and the student paper at Florida State in 2006, the AP says.
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[Image: Ian Bezeck, staff columnist for The Rocky Mountain Collegian, holds one of many signs that appeared in the lobby of the Administration Building opposing the potential sale of Colorado State University's student newspaper to Gannett, the Collegian says. Photo by Aaron Montoya. Hat tip, Romenesko]
I think Gannett has a similar relationship with a college newspaper in Florida, near Pensacola maybe.
ReplyDeleteNow that they've done what they can to take the fun and serious journalism out of so many daily papers, they're going to go to the next level and wreck college papers too?
I think they'll find that managing a bunch of college journalists is like wrangling cats. The kids don't have the same priorities that working adults, with student loans and mortgages to pay off do.