The future of The Detroit News looks shaky. Bill Shea of Crain's Detroit Business writes:
Newspaper industry analyst Ken Doctor wrote Thursday that New York-based private-equity firm Apollo Global Management is “nearing completion” of its $400 million acquisition of The News’ owner, Digital First Media — a deal that will not include The News.
Shea writes that Doctor isn't clear what will happen to The News.
So does The Detroit News join the newspaper graveyard with the Cincinnati Post, Rocky Mountain News and Honolulu Advertiser — major daily newspapers that either folded or were merged with rivals?
Perhaps a savior comes along to prop it up, a long-shot notion because The News doesn’t have its own press, ad sales staff or much in the way of infrastructure to delivery newspapers. It would be incredibly expensive to re-created; or a new owner could contract with Gannett for those services.
Another possibility: It folds into the Free Press and produces standalone pages as a section within its rival (as the Las Vegas Sun does inside the Las Vegas Review-Journal).
