Rocky Mountain News to close, publish final edition Friday

By Lynn DeBruin, Rocky Mountain News (Contact), Lisa Ryckman, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Originally published 12:01 p.m., February 26, 2009
Updated 10:08 p.m., February 26, 2009

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Joe Mahoney © The Rocky

Executives from E.W. Scripps Co., announce their decision on the future of the Rocky Mountain News in the 150-year-old newspaper's newsroom on 2/26/09 in Denver. In December 2008, the Rocky's parent company put the paper up for sale, citing multi-million dollar annual losses.

Photo by Joe Mahoney © The Rocky

Rich Boehne, CEO of E.W. Scripps Co., announce their decision to close the Rocky Mountain News in the 150-year-old newspaper's newsroom on 2/26/09 in Denver. In December 2008, the Rocky's parent company put the paper up for sale, citing multi-million dollar annual losses.

Photo by Darin McGregor © The Rocky

A man stops to read the ticker on the outside of the Denver Newspaper Agency building announcing that the Rocky Mountain News is closing and that it will publish its last edition on Friday. Photograph taken in Denver Thurs. Feb 26, 2009.

Photo by Joe Mahoney © The Rocky

Executives from E.W. Scripps Co., announce their decision on the future of the Rocky Mountain News in the 150-year-old newspaper's newsroom on 2/26/09 in Denver. In December 2008, the Rocky's parent company put the paper up for sale, citing multi-million dollar annual losses.

Photo by Joe Mahoney © The Rocky

Executives from E.W. Scripps Co., announce their decision on the future of the Rocky Mountain News in the 150-year-old newspaper's newsroom on 2/26/09 in Denver. In December 2008, the Rocky's parent company put the paper up for sale, citing multi-million dollar annual losses.

The Rocky Mountain News publishes its last paper tomorrow.

Rich Boehne, chief executive officer of Rocky-owner Scripps, broke the news to the staff at noon today, ending nearly three months of speculation over the paper's future.

"People are in grief," Editor John Temple said a noon news conference.

But he was intent on making sure the Rocky's final edition, which would include a 52-page wraparound section, was as special as the paper itself.

"This is our last shot at this," Temple said at a second afternoon gathering at the newsroom. "This morning (someone) said it's like playing music at your own funeral. It's an opportunity to make really sweet sounds or blow it. I'd like to go out really proud."

Boehne told staffers that the Rocky was the victim of a terrible economy and an upheaval in the newspaper industry.

"Denver can't support two newspapers any longer," Boehne told staffers, some of whom cried at the news. "It's certainly not good news for you, and it's certainly not good news for Denver."

Tensions were higher at the second staff meeting, held to update additional employees who couldn¹t attend the hastily called noon press conference.

Several employees wanted to know about severance packages, or even if they could buy at discount their computers.

Others were critical of Scripps for not seeking wage concessions first or going online only.

But Mark Contreras, vice president of newspapers for Scripps, said the math simply didn't work.

"If you cut both newsrooms in half, fired half the people in each newsroom, you'd be down to where other market newsrooms are today. And they're struggling," he said.

As for online revenues, he said if they were to grow 40 percent a year for the next five years, they still would be equal to the cost of one newsroom today.

"We're sick that we're here," Contreras said. "We want you to know it's not your fault. There's no paper in Scripps that we hold dearer."

But Boehne said Scripps intended to keep its other media, both print and in broadcast, running.

"Scripps has been around for 130 years. We intend to be around another 130 years," Boehne said. "If you can't make hard decisions, you won't make it."

After Friday, the Denver Post will be the only newspaper in town.

Asked if pubilsher Dean Singleton now walks away with the whole pie, Boehne was blunt.

"He walks away with an unprofitable paper, $130 million in debt and revenues that are down 15-20 percent every year," Boehne said.

Asked if Singleton would have to pay for the presses now, Boehne added, "We had to kill a newspaper. He can pay for the presses."

Reaction came from across the nation and around the block.

"The Rocky Mountain News has chronicled the storied, and at times tumultuous, history of Colorado for nearly 150 years. I am deeply saddened by this news, and my heart goes out to all the talented men and women at the Rocky," U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet said in a statement. "I am grateful for their hard work and dedication to not only their profession, but the people of Colorado as well."

At the Statehouse, Rep. Joe Rice (D-Littleton), said the paper would be missed.

"The Rocky Mountain News has been a valued institution in Denver," he said.

"It's a sad, sad day."

Long-time Denver real estate agent Edie Marks called the Rocky a voice of reason, moderation and common sense.

"I think that it was the fairest newspaper, the most diverse, and am important part of my daily life," she said. "I'm going to miss it tremendously."

On Dec. 4, Boehne announced that Scripps was looking for a buyer for the Rocky and its 50 percent interest in the Denver Newspaper Agency, the company that handles business matters for the papers. The move came because of financial losses in Denver, including $16 million in 2008.

"This moment is nothing like any experience any of us have had," Boehne said. "The industry is in serious, serious trouble."

Temple said he was optimistic about the future of journalism but added that newspapers would be "radically different" in the future. He said he had no plans for his own future, although Boehne said Temple has a job with Scripps if he wants it.

Boehne said there was an out-of-state nibble from only one potential buyer, who withdrew after realizing that it would cost as much as $100 million "just to stay in the game."

He said they were in talks with that potential buyer as recently as a couple of weeks ago.

The sale of a newspaper brings out all sorts of colorful characters, Boehne said. "You get calls from pay phones at parks."

Since then, Scripps said it has been working with Post owner MediaNews Group to come up with a plan to leave Colorado. It also shares 50-50 ownership with MediaNews of the Boulder Daily Camera and a handful of other smaller papers in the state.

The Rocky has been in a joint operating agreement with The Denver Post since 2001. The arrangement approved by the U.S. Justice Department allowed the papers to share all business services, from advertising to printing, to preserve two editorial voices in the community.

Since then, Scripps said it has been working with Post owner MediaNews Group to come up with a plan to leave Colorado. It also shares 50-50 ownership with MediaNews of the Boulder Daily Camera and a handful of other smaller papers in the state.

Boehne said that the Post's traditional format and established Sunday edition made it more economically viable.

"In this environment, where there's so little room to take economic risk, I really feel the best chance for survival belongs to the broadsheet," he said.

The closure of the Rocky will mean Denver will have just one major newspaper, like the vast majority of American cities today.

"I certainly feel that all of (us) did what we could to make this paper successful, and I want to thank you for that," Temple told the staff. "To me, this is the very sad end of a beautiful thing."

Scripps said it will now offer for sale the masthead, archives and Web site of the Rocky, separate from its interest in the newspaper agency.

Today's announcement comes as metropolitan newspapers and major newspaper companies find themselves reeling, with plummeting advertising revenues and dramatically diminished share prices. Just this week, Hearst, owner of the San Francisco Chronicle, announced that unless it was able to make immediate and steep expense cuts it would put the paper up for sale and possibly close it. Two other papers in JOAs, one in Seattle and the other in Tucson, are facing closure in coming weeks.

The Rocky was founded in 1859 by William Byers, one of the most influential figures in Colorado history. Scripps bought the paper in 1926 and immediately began a newspaper war with The Post. That fight ebbed and flowed over the course of the rest of the 20th century, culminating in penny-a-day subscriptions in the late '90s.

Perhaps the most critical step for the Rocky occurred in 1942, when then-Editor Jack Foster saved it by adopting the tabloid style it has been known for ever since. Readers loved the change, and circulation took off.

In the past decade, the Rocky has won four Pulitzer Prizes, more than all but a handful of American papers. Its sports section was named one of the 10 best in the nation this week. Its business section was cited by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers as one of the best in the country last year. And its photo staff is regularly listed among the best in the nation when the top 10 photo newspapers are judged.

Staffers were told to come in Friday to collect personal effects.

"I could say stupid things like 'I know how you feel.' I don't," Boehne said. "We are just deeply sorry. I hope you will accept that."

• February 26, 2009

  12:05 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Iron writes:

  B-Bye

• February 26, 2009

  12:06 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  JluvDC writes:

  I will be very sad to see it go :(

• February 26, 2009

  12:07 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Oh_Wise_One writes:

  LOL. Take the Denver Post with you.

• February 26, 2009

  12:07 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Iron writes:

  Oh, and Scanlon... when writing your resume, remember that a paragraph contains more than one sentence.

• February 26, 2009

  12:08 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gopbodybagz writes:

  so long old friend. i will always love the tabloid format in a daily.
  i hate to see any family face employment hardships in these difficult days. best of luck to the staff!

• February 26, 2009

  12:09 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  temurlan writes:

  Survival of the fittest. {:<

• February 26, 2009

  12:10 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  collegegrad writes:

  While the writing has been on the wall, I am completely devastated by this. Fare thee well, RMN.

• February 26, 2009

  12:11 p.m.

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  sheepherder writes:

  Kind of sad. I hope Griego and Johnson don't find another writing job.

• February 26, 2009

  12:11 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  CharR writes:

  This is such a sad day. It's also disheartening to see comments celebrating the demise of a great newspaper and the loss of 200 or more jobs. But it's good to read those who still support the newspaper and all that they do.

• February 26, 2009

  12:12 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gkb2008 writes:

  It came so much faster than what we all realized. It will leave a huge unfillable void in the Denver and Rocky Mountain region. The Denver Post will be simply incapable and unable to meet the needs and viewpoints of all readers in the region. And we all know the price of the Post is going to go up, probably to $1 daily, $2 on Saturdays, and $4 on Sundays.

• February 26, 2009

  12:13 p.m.

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  INC writes:

  Bye old friend.. 150 years is a good run... sad the post had to be so greedy.

• February 26, 2009

  12:13 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  zippy66 writes:

  Guess I'll have to start getting my news from The Onion and Westword. I will never take the Post.

• February 26, 2009

  12:14 p.m.

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  Who_Me writes:

  And "we all know" why, exactly? Are you a pre-cog or something?

• February 26, 2009

  12:14 p.m.

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  davebarnes writes:

  So sad as the better paper is going away.
  I expect Dinky SIngleton to declare bankruptcy any day now as he is way over leveraged.

• February 26, 2009

  12:14 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  SlouchingTowardBoulder writes:

  Prediction: Bill Johnson, Tina Griego and Mike Littwin move across the street and find employment with Ritter.

• February 26, 2009

  12:15 p.m.

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  leatherneck writes:

  THE LINK TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PAPER IS STILL AT THE TOP OF THE WEBSITE

  I HAVE READ THE ROCKY FOR MORE THEN 20 YEARS

  I liked them better then the Post because the Post would open up like a map and was hard to read without getting my breakfast on it.
  The Rocky always opened like a book.......way better..

  I WILL MISS THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS

• February 26, 2009

  12:16 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  greeneyesforever writes:

  So long RMN and good luck to their employees. It is sad to see you go.

• February 26, 2009

  12:16 p.m.

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  bxwatso writes:

  I doubt this ensures the Post's survival long term. Someone will have to pay the fixed overhead (buildings) the News was covering.

  Also, I for one will not start reading the Post's extreme far left reporting just because the moderate News is gone. I can get my Denver news from the Denver Daily News (free paper). They are active Obama supporters (have his sign in their office window), but they are fair. When I want left wing news, I listen to NPR - again they are biased but fair. The Post is unfair, biased, and low brow.

• February 26, 2009

  12:17 p.m.

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  Fisherman writes:

  You will be missed. :^(

• February 26, 2009

  12:17 p.m.

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  Who_Me writes:

  "sad the post [sic] had to be so greedy"

  Yeah, right, like when the RMN was offering bonuses to Post carriers to dump their routes and start working for RMN right then and there. Yeah, I feel real bad about the loss of jobs at the RMN. Probably about as bad as they would have felt back in '98/'99 or so had the Post been the one to lose the war.

• February 26, 2009

  12:17 p.m.

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  Buckwheat writes:

  Looks like we'll have to find somewhere else to discuss our views / opinions.. Thanks RMN.

• February 26, 2009

  12:18 p.m.

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  scodtt writes:

  I'm so so so sorry. This stinks. It's horrible.

  And to all you trolls out there who are going to say something you think is clever about the paper deserving this, you are slime. You wouldn't have a forum to write your crappy thoughts in if the Rocky hadn't done a great job of journalism in the first place.

  This is a sad and terrible day in Colorado history.

• February 26, 2009

  12:19 p.m.

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  PonchoVia writes:

  I'm sure Mr. Boehne will be receiving a nice bonus for firing all the RMN employees.

• February 26, 2009

  12:20 p.m.

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  Ricochet writes:

  There used to be four newspapers in Denver, now there is only one and the best one didn't survive.

  I will miss the News and the memory of Gene Amole. I always preferred the News over the Post.

• February 26, 2009

  12:20 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Bcra4u writes:

  Too bad it has to be the Rocky instead of the Post. I will miss the easy to read style of the RMN and I hope Drew Litton still will have a job with the Post. His cartoon comentaries are the best.

• February 26, 2009

  12:20 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  MaxPlanck writes:

  I hope you all can take comfort in the stellar performance displayed in the days since Scripps announced their intents. The paper you produced was in all respects, superior. I thank you for that and wish you Godspeed.

  Tomorrow will be a sad day for me and Colorado as well.

• February 26, 2009

  12:21 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  buffsblg writes:

  Sad. While I certainly disagreed with the editorial board at times, I truly believe that society is better served by more voices. Leaving the town with one paper, even if necessitated by economic circumstances means that the public and therefore the electorate is less informed, less exposed to varying viewpoints and less educated. I for one do not believe that the chattering profusion of TV talking heads, loudmouth talk radio hosts and opinionated bloggers is a substitute for actual professional journalists and editors putting out stories of import large and small. Farewell old friend, the city is the poorer for your passing.

• February 26, 2009

  12:21 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  journalistnate writes:

  Goodbye Rocky Mountain News. I hope someone swoops in to save the day.

• February 26, 2009

  12:21 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Oldtimer writes:

  Tomorrow will be a very sad day, the last news paper and I have to tell my dog she's out of a job too.
  Very sad to see the Rocky go. Good luck to you all.

• February 26, 2009

  12:22 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  KW writes:

  I think we'll just have to storm the comment section at the Post. It will tick off a whole lot of liberals, but I'm up for it.

  See you all over there on Monday!

• February 26, 2009

  12:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Who_Me writes:

  I would bet a Happy Meal that the newsroom employees are tired of seeing Boehne show up in the newsroom.

• February 26, 2009

  12:24 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  lwirbel writes:

  As Albuquerque Tribune goes, as RMN goes, as Scripps-Howard goes, so goes the daily newspaper industry. Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got til it's gone?

• February 26, 2009

  12:25 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  vendari01 writes:

  My thoughts, as well, Buckwheat, and I was going to ask Oh_Wise_One where we were going to post all of our idiotic comments, if both the RMN and DP shut down. And computer terminals make lousy bird cage liners. I have, overall, enjoyed the Rocky, whether I agreed with it or not. I will miss it, and its format- oh, and its comics. It has been fun. Thanks for the good times.

• February 26, 2009

  12:25 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Konyok writes:

  Jeez. My first cup of coffee was with the Rocky Mountain News.
  I guess that my subscription will transfer to the Post, and then I'll just let it lapse when it expires.

• February 26, 2009

  12:27 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Superstar writes:

  This is horrible. What a very sad thing. Oddly enough, here we are on an online news site, and its all the focus on the Internet that has been a major reason why so many companies are going under. I will miss you, Rocky, your staff, and your easy-to-read format. All of you at the Rocky have done a superb job giving us our news everyday. Good luck to you all! :(

• February 26, 2009

  12:28 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  drnugget writes:

  Too bad, always prefered the RMN.

• February 26, 2009

  12:28 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mock writes:

  whoa.

• February 26, 2009

  12:28 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Willy writes:

  Sorry to see this happen, but papers are closing all over the country. Hope the Post manages to upgrade its website.

• February 26, 2009

  12:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LizO writes:

  I am so sorry to hear this. You've been a big part of my life and I hate to hear this.

  To all the employees at the Rocky, I am sorry this has to happen. I subscribe to the Post but have enjoyed the Saturday edition very much and the online addition as well.

  Godspeed to all that work at the Rocky. I've been watching this with tingles in hopes you all keep your jobs. I actually cried over your loss. The Colorado Front Range will never the same.

• February 26, 2009

  12:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  kenharper writes:

  Peace to my old brothers, all of you.

  Ken Harper
  RMN 2005-2007

• February 26, 2009

  12:30 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Cowboy63 writes:

  Adios Amigo. I've been reading the News for decades.

  I hate to see a good paper like the News go teats-up, but that's how it goes. We'll get by.

• February 26, 2009

  12:30 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sooperburd writes:

  KW,

  You're absolutely right. The sad death of the Rocky means we're going to shake things up at the Post. See you there!

  -burd

• February 26, 2009

  12:31 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  denverrose writes:

  Can't stand The Post... but you know, both deserve to close because of how badly they have handled political subjects. One is liberal and the other (The Post) is ultra-liberal. Such choices we HAD. Hasta luego!

• February 26, 2009

  12:31 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  coloradokitty writes:

  This is a terrible day and my heart is very saddened by it. I was once a newspaper photographer, but those days are gone. My heart goes out to all of the Rocky employees and their families. I will not let my subscription transfer to The Post. It will end when The Rocky ends...

• February 26, 2009

  12:32 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  SlouchingTowardBoulder writes:

  I will NOT subscribe to the Post. Not now, not ever.

• February 26, 2009

  12:33 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mmannino writes:

  I offer my condolences to the RMN staff. Many other cities have suffered the same fate but it does not make it any easier. I salute the fine work by the RMN staff even though I have not always agreed with their titling left slant.

• February 26, 2009

  12:33 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  ANewsFan writes:

  This is sad, sad news. God bless all of the people working at the Rocky and I hope you can find gainful employment. Let's hope The Post finds a way to thrive in this terrible newspaper environment taken over by the instant, superficial news skills of electronic media.

• February 26, 2009

  12:33 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sassinspunki writes:

  It's sad to see you go, thanks for the memories! I feel for the employees who will now be unemployed. Some of your more controversial columnists won't be missed by me and I sincerely hope that the Denver Post doesn't pick them up. Personally I always preferred the Rocky over the Post, if I had to chose one to see go, it would have been the Post.

• February 26, 2009

  12:34 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Jeff writes:

  This is really sad. Even if they don't admit it, I think everyone's going to miss the Rocky, even the haters.

• February 26, 2009

  12:35 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  whatsupjay writes:

  That's unfortunate, and on Obama/Pelosi/Reid's watch...

  Does this mean Littwin, Griego, and Penny Parker will actually need to find real jobs and work for a living?

• February 26, 2009

  12:36 p.m.

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  SheikYurBooty writes:

  Sad. RIP.

• February 26, 2009

  12:36 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Uno writes:

  To all employees at RMN; thank you for years of news and entertainment. I wish you all the best.

• February 26, 2009

  12:37 p.m.

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  Crub writes:

  R.I.P.

• February 26, 2009

  12:37 p.m.

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  oma writes:

  gee, if you read the stuff in response to littwin today by the geniuses like let's (not) think, it was the liberals who took down the RMN, but it turned out it was just the state of the economy after all. i won't miss idiots like let's (not) think and shaggy. hope they find a righter wing pub to vent their idiocies. i am sad to see any historic newspaper, post, rmn, tribunes, heralds, etc go down. it is a sad day in democracy.

• February 26, 2009

  12:39 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jlstaud writes:

  Boooooooooo

• February 26, 2009

  12:39 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  redwhiteandBLUE writes:

  We were generations of RMN readers, I'm sorry this had to end like this, but ...maybe all those illegal alien sob stories everyday didn't help matters any.... maybe this can be outsoursed to Mexico and all of you can live happy ever after. Good riddance to TG.

  I'm so sorry to sound rude but I've really got mixed emotions now
  I'm sorry for the families.

• February 26, 2009

  12:40 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  RockHawper writes:

  Will there still be a web version of RMN? Because we all know the printed news version is what really died.

• February 26, 2009

  12:41 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  spot writes:

  INC writes "sad the post had to be so greedy."

  How do you figure? The Post really didn't have anything to do with this. Both papers - via their DNA partnership - have been bleeding money for a few years now.

  It is very sad to see the Rocky go. But if you want to keep up with what's happening in locally, in government and otherwise, good luck if you're planning to boycott The Post. Westword has its place, but it's no substitute for a daily paper.

• February 26, 2009

  12:41 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Grim_Reefer writes:

  My favorite paper of all time...Rocky Mountain News...killer name, too...I began to read the Rocky while eating a bowl of cold ceral in grade school (albiet it was just the comics and Today in History back then)...the tabloid format is still the best.

  Happy Trails to you...

• February 26, 2009

  12:41 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  heiderj writes:

  I recently moved away from Denver. I subscribed to the Rocky for 15 years. Everytime I fly through DIA I pick up a copy. It's like an old friend. The format and content are much better than either of the papers I got in Portland and Cincinnati. This really is a sad day for the state of Colorado. I am going to miss the terrific sports and business sections. This is a sign of the times but will be painful for many loyal readers. Best of luck to all the RMN employees. Thanks for great memories over the years!

• February 26, 2009

  12:42 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  greenleaf writes:

  I've read the RMN for 50 years. What will morning be like without it? I suppose the sun will still come up.

  I guess we will have to carry our conversations to the Post so long as it lasts. It won't be the same, but what ever is? Goodbye old friend.

  Brother Konyok,

  I too drank my first cup of coffee while reading the News.

• February 26, 2009

  12:42 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  timoptic writes:

  Scripps, you s#&k. (Nice work for the computer editors wouldn't let me use the word to describe how to use a straw!)

  Unfortunately, that's the only phrase I can think of right now. May your company die along with the Rocky. And, I hope the Post goes to lay in its grave too (a likely scenario). It's a very sad day for Denver and Newspapers in general.

  Kudos to the Rocky Staff who continued to hold their heads high and put out an excellent paper in the past 3 months of uncertain times. I wouldn't have handled myself as well as they did, most certainly.

  A Colorado tradition is lost. Here's to a no-newspaper town by the end of 2009! Where will the local voice and opinions come from?

• February 26, 2009

  12:43 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  KCBRONCOFAN writes:

  My dad was a proof reader for The News in the fifties. I delivered the paper as a kid. The News and the Post were always part of the mix.

  The News had one editorial point of view, the Post generally another. It gave balance to the debate. Unfortunately, balance is no longer acceptable. If the editorial views are not compatable with whatever believe system a person holds, then that paper and everyone associated with it is "evil", "stupid" or whatever other petty pejorative might come to mind. Our society doesn't want debate, only self justifying agreement.

  The loss of The Rocky Mountain News is more than a loss of a physical newspaper. It is another irreversible loss for civic debate and reasoned decisions.

• February 26, 2009

  12:44 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Chopper writes:

  The End of news has come to Denver (Never had any real news stories here anyway.) Please take the Post and the rest of the television and print media with you.

• February 26, 2009

  12:44 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  seeker writes:

  The Rocky has been a voice for so many over the years. It is hard to believe that it will be silenced tomorrow. Denver becomes a one newspaper city and that's so unusual in today's world.

  I wonder what will happen to all of the employees. They now become part of the stories they write; unemployed and wondering what comes next.

  This is a sad day indeed for Colorado. A sad day for me personally. This newspaper has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.

  Good luck to all the Rocky staff and employees. I will miss this great old newspaper......Colorado has indeed lost an old ally and friend. They are bound together and rich with the history of this great state. A sad day indeed.

• February 26, 2009

  12:44 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DestinyBender writes:

  Building that grand new headquarters looks like a pretty foolish venture now. Not a whole lot stupider than blowing-off your Conservative readership. Hey Littwin, Campos and Stein...don't let the door hit you in the a_s on the way out the door.

• February 26, 2009

  12:44 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  denverhistory writes:

  This is very sad. I've enjoyed reading the Rocky ever since I learned to read, and I've never liked the Post. I'm just really sad that the paper is ending just two months shy of its 150th birthday, which would have been on April 23. That really saddens me.

  Also, there is one innacuracy in the above story -- the Rocky and the Post were in a "newspaper war" long before 1926. The owner of the Post in 1907, Fred Bonfils, physically attacked the owner of the Rocky, Thomas Patterson. The Post started out as a yellow rag (Bonfils' co-owner Harry Tammen allegedly said, "sure we're yellow, but we're read"). And now the Post is all that's left. What a sad day for Colorado. For a fascinating look at the history of the Rocky Mountain News, read Robert Perkin's book, "The First Hundred Years."

• February 26, 2009

  12:45 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Shaupeen writes:

  Over my twenty plus years here in Denver, many things have changed, but I always started my day with the RMN. I'm sad to see you go, old friend.

  "Thanks for always being there."

• February 26, 2009

  12:45 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  BroncoRick69 writes:

  The Denver Post really s@#ks. This is really too bad. I can go on and on about how long I have read the Rocky Mountain news etc...blah blah blah, But all of that isn't going to help. The Rocky always has been the highest quality paper to read, not only the format, but the reporters and reporting as well, and everyone knows it. The current and former staffs of the Rocky should be extremely proud of themselves for their efforts, and maintaining the integrity of the Rocky throughout the years. This truly is kind of heartbreaking. I'm only thankful that I wont have to read Bernie Linciome's articles any longer. Cheers everyone!

• February 26, 2009

  12:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  HankReardon writes:

  The End Of An Era.
  Thanks for all the years and stories...

• February 26, 2009

  12:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  johnnydb writes:

  This is definitely sad. The Rocky is the oldest paper in Colorado, and the one that has to go - why? The Rocky was doing great until the Denver Newspaper Agency came on the scene???? Makes you wonder.

• February 26, 2009

  12:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  stella writes:

  I'm bummed and even more upset the RMN can't go out with their Saturday edition that belonged to only them.

• February 26, 2009

  12:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Michael writes:

  Damn shame. Moved to Denver in 1974 and have always read the Rocky. Did not much like the "tabloid" style of the paper when I first read it...but I learned to really appreciate how much easier it was to read at a cramped breakfast table! I have enjoyed the blogs in recent years and the many feisty, heated, emotional, passionate, and lively debates and exchanges with everyone. Sometimes things got too heated and I hope there are no hard feelings. All the best to everyone at the Rocky in your job search and all my blog buddies too. The only constant is change and this one just tastes bad.

• February 26, 2009

  12:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  OmahaConservative writes:

  Good, the writing is on the wall for all the dailies. Next, I'd like to see NY Times, LA Times & Chicago Tribune to fold.

• February 26, 2009

  12:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  oo7curtis writes:

  Haven't touched it since amendment 2. Toodles.

• February 26, 2009

  12:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  MissingDenver writes:

  I will miss the RMN. Overall, a solid paper with deep roots and a part of Colorado history. Times are a changing for sure.

  Thoughts and prayers to those losing their livelihood. As a special note to Ed Stein and Mike Littwin, I enjoyed reading your sophistry and hollow rhetroic, but good luck and good riddance. Maybe you should go to your latest iconic figure and look for salvation and a personal bailout, since in your eyes, that is his job.

• February 26, 2009

  12:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Uno writes:

  To all the regular posters here, it's been fun, I wish you all without exception a long healthy and prosperous life. I'm signing off.

• February 26, 2009

  12:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  GladysKravitz writes:

  This is a sad day for news, for all the workers, for everyone.
  I have seen too many friends in the news biz lose their jobs, myself included. Godwilling after the shock of this lose, people will find work again. It took me 3 years to get back into a stable job with benefits. Sad day indeed.

• February 26, 2009

  12:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Rusman writes:

  What a great loss to our community.

• February 26, 2009

  12:49 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  GunnyBob writes:

  Hundreds of Colorado families now in peril. Think, people.

  This is not something to be celebrated or gloated about. Sure, Littwin, Salzman and Campos and some shocking and absurd editorials were contributing factors, but that does not make it right to laugh about all the families now in big trouble. Patriots are bigger than that.

• February 26, 2009

  12:49 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Chopper writes:

  Destiny- Total agreement with you. Once the Post goes the City can make an annex for the Justice Center on that piece of property, whatever it is called. Prime real estate.

• February 26, 2009

  12:50 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  RoxForBrains writes:

  As a 20plus year subscriber...very sad news. I won't be taking the Post. Didn't the creation of the Denver Newspaper Agency back then actually save The Post at the time? Now this happens.

• February 26, 2009

  12:50 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LOUIE writes:

  Looking at the Post, we already were a one newspaper town for 150 years. Guess I'll be watching Channel 4 news as I read the Wall Street and New York Times. This is the only place I enjoyed blogging and debating. Going to miss this paper, see you Mr. Boggert! Whether you agreed with this paper or not, if your writing here, positive or negative, they brought you to the table. That's when you know it is a great paper! See you guys, and thanks for teaching me about the opinions of so many good people!

• February 26, 2009

  12:51 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Barron writes:

  How very sad. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you.

• February 26, 2009

  12:51 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Michael writes:

  Addendum: God bless Gene Amole. I hope he is not turning in his grave.

• February 26, 2009

  12:51 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  adtypeanddesign writes:

  My first awareness of the Rocky was qualifying in its spelling bee in 1972. After having spent almost 20 years of my working career with this fine newspaper, I thought its future was guaranteed with the joint operating agreement. What a sad day in Colorado's history.

  My friends in the Rocky newsroom have my deepest thoughts and condolences. Farewell, old friends and farewell to a fine newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News.

• February 26, 2009

  12:52 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Dylan_Smith writes:

  From one dying newspaper to another - we'll raise a glass for you folks.

  Dylan Smith
  Online Editor
  TucsonCitizen.com

• February 26, 2009

  12:54 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  archon writes:

  Next week, the Rocky will still be a better paper than the Post could even hope to be.

• February 26, 2009

  12:54 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Quincy writes:

  Although Mike Littwin is a great liberal writer, he'll probably need to get a hair cut for his next serious gig.

• February 26, 2009

  12:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sheepherder writes:

  This really is bad news! I can't stand the Post! Why didn't they ditch that rag and keep the RMN?

• February 26, 2009

  12:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LikeISeeIt writes:

  Definitely unfortunate to see. I have always preferred the Rocky, going back to when my family moved out here in the early '70s. I haven't always agreed with the various columnists, but then again, you aren't supposed to! The quality of reporting on sports, politics, and general news was always better in the Rocky, and it wouldn't surprise me to see the Post fall fairly soon, as it just feels like we're losing the wrong paper. Good luck to everyone involved in the RMN. hopefully we will see you all writing elsewhere soon!

• February 26, 2009

  12:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  dawnn writes:

  I cut my journalism teeth on the Rocky as a teenager and young adult - the paper may be gone, but the memories... Sorry it had to happen, sorry in so many ways.

• February 26, 2009

  12:56 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  davies writes:

  'Tis a shame, both for the RMN and for the prospects for the newspaper industry in general. I still have bad dreams about my first full time job in retail, in which the store is going to close and I wonder what I'm going to do. Man, I don't wish that on anybody. Best wishes to all at the Rocky.

  I've enjoyed reading your opinions, buffsblg. Heidi, I hope I run across you somewhere else sometime. Have an extra lemon drop tomorrow night. Not even our brilliant commentaries here on the RMN could extend its existence forever ;-)

• February 26, 2009

  12:56 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LazyR writes:

  I'm sorry to see this since the Rocky was much better about updating news stories on week-ends than DP.

• February 26, 2009

  12:56 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Timberline writes:

  Sorry to hear this, good luck to all the staff and families..

  FYI posters 9news.com has good forums to post on.

• February 26, 2009

  12:56 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  GCraig writes:

  I just got the news about the demise of the Rocky Mountain News and I share the sentiments of many others: sadness and anger. We've been reading the RMN since 1985 when we moved to Colorado and reading the paper has been part of my daily ritual for all that time. I don't always agree with the points-of-view on the editorial pages but that's what newspapers are for--to bring those perspectives and offer the opportunity to read them in print and consider them.

  I've known Deb Goeken, the Managing Editor, for close to 30 years. My wife and I knew her back in Illinois where we lived. I shared with Deb my original reasons for choosing the News over the Post when first moving here. Since I did not know much about either paper, the format of the Rocky sold me. It made it much easier to read in the bathroom. That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

  We need two newspapers in this community in order to have differing perspectives. I know many readers from what I've been reading here believe that the RMN is a liberal publication. I don't necessarily agree with that and I'm slightly right of center and an independent voter. The RMN seems moderate and a voice of reason compared to its competitor. I only read The Post on Sundays.

  It seems so unfair and so short-sighted of Scripps Reno to give up the Rocky without much of a fight. In the information age and in the context of the Rocky Mountain region, there had to have been a better outcome than what we have now. Even going to a totally electronic edition would have been better than this although taking a laptop into the bathroom every morning would not be that desirable.

  I'll miss the RMN and I wish the staff well in the next stage of their respective careers. Scripps Reno will not be part of my world.

  GCraig

• February 26, 2009

  12:56 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Konyok writes:

  spot does have a point.

  If we boycott the Post there will be a great vacuum.

  Westword is just too snarky and self consciously stylish to be of any use. John Bowman is a fine journalist and his Denver Daily News may eventually grow into the paper that we need.

  *

  Yeah, brother Greenleaf, our hometown just keeps a changin' beyond all recognition ...

• February 26, 2009

  12:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  dirkle writes:

  I'll be dead soon, so I don't care ...

  Just kidding -

  I can't imagine CO without RMN. Good luck and best wishes to all the staff and their families.

  You all did the best you could, and no one can ask more than that.

• February 26, 2009

  12:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  WillyNilly writes:

  At work in the breakrooms, the RMN was always the paper everyone read. A copy would be brought by someone, and all the sections would be divvied up, one person reading the front page, another reading the sports, etc. I thought the format was great, easy to eat, drink and read at the same time. If the Post was in there too it was always the 2nd choice.

  And at that time Gene Amole was the columnist to read. He always had something interesting on his mind, and wrote things that made you feel like you lived in a small town. Would probably seem corny now, and the online bloggers would have torn him up. But he represented an era. And he did it well.

  There was always something about a RMN headline that seemed more...bold. When the Broncos won the first Super Bowl, I remember the headline and picture like it was yesterday. Sadly, I remember 9-11 too. They could capture the diminsions of a big story in just a few words.

  Enough rambling. Just a few parting thoughts to acknowledge the passing of a great part of Denver history. Good bye RMN, you will be missed. I wish all the employees the best, and we'll join you soon in the unemployment lines.

• February 26, 2009

  12:59 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  minnice writes:

  Just like paving paradise: you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.

  So sorry, Rocky staff.

  GeriR

• February 26, 2009

  1 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  hawkeye_out_west writes:

  So Sad to see the best newspaper in the region going away.
  I have enjoyed all of the columnists and the news at breakfast every morning (not to mention the easy to read format). It will be like losing touch with family....

• February 26, 2009

  1 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Lowtaxequalsfreedom writes:

  The local market will be flooded with tons of talent. I am sure something good will come out of all of this.

  Creative destruction.

• February 26, 2009

  1:01 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DougH writes:

  I will really miss the morning Rocky, good luck to all the great people that have brought me news, opinion and comics to get my day started. Best to you all.

• February 26, 2009

  1:01 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  henrya1 writes:

  As usual, MBA holding execs, who never covered as much as rotary meeting, kill off another staple of a community.
  A sad day for American newspapers.

• February 26, 2009

  1:02 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  willaustin writes:

  It saddens me that some of you feel it's an appropriate time to be cute and to try and show us how witty you are in your dissent of an entity that allows you to freely display your ignorance. The fact is some really good people lost their jobs today.

  And @PonchoVia, you're a complete idiot to even hint that Rich Boehne would receive compensation for what I would imagine was one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do.

  Our industry has not asked for bailouts. We don’t have TARP funds to buy $15,000 trash cans.

  We’re all in for a rude awakening when the facts are easily construed by the change of some html code alone, and not set in print. There will be nothing to guarantee your right to retort when your forum for rebuttal can be easily erased with a key stroke.

  "When free discussion is denied, hardening of the arteries of democracy has set in, free institutions are but a lifeless form, and the death of the republic is at hand."
  -Wm. Randolph Hearst

  Please pray for the families affected by this and our ailing economy.

  @RMN it’s been an absolute pleasure… *salute*

• February 26, 2009

  1:02 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mrwiizrd writes:

  INC, I normally try to refrain from preemptive personal attacks, but you are truly a freaking idiot.

  "I'm so so so sorry. This stinks. It's horrible.

  And to all you trolls out there who are going to say something you think is clever about the paper deserving this, you are slime. You wouldn't have a forum to write your crappy thoughts in if the Rocky hadn't done a great job of journalism in the first place.

  This is a sad and terrible day in Colorado history."

  Well said scodtt. RMN you will definitely be missed.

• February 26, 2009

  1:03 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  RockyWarrior writes:

  Well, it's finally happened. And to think Rich Boehne couldn't even find a damn tie to make the execution final. Nice touch, Rich. You've finally proven that a little nobody like Dean Singleton could wag the Scripps' dog tail without EVER having any substance or money of his own. You (Scripps) fell over yourself by giving that little creep keys to your house.

  For years, the News steadily became a powerful news source for the entire Rocky Mountain region while the Post dawdled in mediocrity. But Scripps fell for Dean's card tricks, fake circulation numbers, horrible writers (hey Woody, remember when you wanted to come back after dangling the possibility of going to the Post and our Editor told you to go to hell?), and wholesale discounting.

  Mention Dean Singleton to any newspaper person, and the first look you'll see is one who has smelled a particularly foul flatulence. Now, tieless Richy belongs with him. Make sure you go kiss his ring before you jet off, Rich. He beat you with a pair of deuces.

  Go back to Ohio now, Rich, and tell your bosses how you had to make your hard decision after you sat back (as chairman of DNA) and let that creepy little Texan call the shots. You have no backbone. You have no credence, and now we have no paper.

  The Denver Post, with all their tired newsroom writers (still listening Woody?), is now the only paper in Denver. What a shame. But more shame to Scripps for letting this happen when you all know you could have ended the newspaper war long ago if only you hadn't fallen in love with an inept Publisher who took the paper right into Dean's hands.

• February 26, 2009

  1:03 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Ricochet writes:

  Michael,

  Mr. Amole may not be turning in his grave but I bet he is crying great big tears.

• February 26, 2009

  1:05 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  buffsblg writes:

  Farewell to all the posters on here and to all the "robust debate" that makes this nation great and the debate on here fun and annoying. Heidi and Davies and Uno, I enjoyed your posts and your continued thoughtfulness. I will miss cowboy and gunnybob and hankreardon and slouching and all those others who challenged my views and my own biases. I will even miss that aggie sheephearder. See you online i hope. The Republic will always be strengthened by debate and dissension.

• February 26, 2009

  1:06 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  TheRundown writes:

  G'bye old friend

  I still have my copies of the paper from 1995 when the Avs came to town, and from Sept 11

• February 26, 2009

  1:06 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  ou8one2 writes:

  KW writes:

  I think we'll just have to storm the comment section at the Post. It will tick off a whole lot of liberals, but I'm up for it.

  See you all over there on Monday!

  Rock on! I am with you.

  As for the soon to be unemployed people at the RMN , I wish you the best of luck in finding work. Truly, good luck and best wishes to the rank and file.

• February 26, 2009

  1:07 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  goodbyeDenver writes:

  A journey is best measured in friends, rather than profit.

• February 26, 2009

  1:07 p.m.

  CaptainObvious writes:

  (This comment was removed by the site staff.)

• February 26, 2009

  1:07 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  salidakid writes:

  So long old friend, I wish the best for the staff and their familys.

• February 26, 2009

  1:07 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Costner writes:

  I am really sorry about this. I will miss logging in from bum frick egypt to check "press".
  Enjoyed this newspaper so much throughout the years. Living in Denver and out of Denver, as I do now.
  During Bronco games, with Sam Adams, logging in and chatting with all the fans (since I never get Bronco games down here).
  Plus, Rocky Mtn. News was always easy to read because it was laid out like a book. Could read it on the RTD very easily...
  (((( sigh)))
  Hey...
  I think John (Elway) should buy it.
  Denver is his town and the Rocky Mtn News is all part of that infamous "Colorado scene".
  Have John give the Rocky Mtn News its own stimulus package.
  Why not?

• February 26, 2009

  1:08 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DonaldJohnson writes:

  Some very good journalists and a terrific editor/publisher are losing their jobs and paper. The Post's web site will get more traffic as will some blogs. Not sure how much this will help the Post's circulation. Advertisers will be able to focus on the Post and overall may save money if they've been in both papers. The cost of delivering the Post to homes just doubled. I'm glad I don't make paper or ink. Sports teams, cultural events, entertainers and home builders will get less free publicity. Business readers probably will use the Internet more and may pay more attention to the Denver Business Journal. Maybe someone will start a free advertising shopper for the metro area. I also think the suburban papers will benefit.

• February 26, 2009

  1:08 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Andy writes:

  What very sad news. I've read the RMN for 27 years. I'm so sorry for the employees.

  Hang in there, folks. We still need journalists, so we'll have to find a way compensating them. I just don't know how right now.

  Best of luck to you all.

  * * * * * *

  This is most likely my last post on this website. I'll been hanging out on the BBC website going forward. The 9news and DP forums don't appeal to me. Too many know nothings. So, thanks to all the usual suspects for what was an entertaining forum. I can't say I always agreed with you, but it was always entertaining.

  Andy

• February 26, 2009

  1:09 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Shell9157 writes:

  I don't like the Post, I don't like to read news on the computer,
  can't sit outside in the mornings to read the RMN. How sad that
  the economy keeps taking the good things away. RMN you will
  be missed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• February 26, 2009

  1:09 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Boltfan007 writes:

  Feel bad for everyone but that jacka$$ Littwin and that mental midget Stein....see? Everyone DIDN'T agree with your crap....

  Oh and Sheikyurbooty? What new important thing will fill your days?

  Good freakin' riddance....

• February 26, 2009

  1:09 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  SteveM writes:

  Why Friday, when the RMN is the only Saturday paper? Why not give them one last issue on their one day a week to shine?

  Good bye to the Rocky. This is a sad day for the entire region. Not just because we are losing a second voice in the news, not just because of the jobs, and not just because of what it says about the industry in general, but because our community lacks anyone big enough to come through for the paper and save it financially, bring it to the next level, and move it into the future. Where is the innovation that used to run rampant in our state?

  Finally, why are the automotive and banking industries being given federal money to re-tool, but not the newspaper industry?

• February 26, 2009

  1:10 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  EnlightenedOne writes:

  I didn't always agree with your "Opinion" pieces, but I did like your paper better. Guess I'll be stuck with the Denver Post, and if I want variety, the Denver Daily News! :(

• February 26, 2009

  1:11 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  rickl writes:

  Damned shame...

• February 26, 2009

  1:12 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  chip writes:

  thanks RMN...
  hopefully we will still be able to read some of the fine writers here in other venues

  dave kreiger alone made it worth reading your paper..

• February 26, 2009

  1:12 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  libertygrace writes:

  Journalism is a keystone of democracy. I don't think anyone really can comprehend at this point the impact this will have across the communities and other industries here, and even at the national level. For all the media critics' opinions, we've taken for granted such a tremendous resource. Having also grown up on the Rocky, I am saddened at the lack of foresight the past decade to balance profits with service, and inability to innovate quickly enough over the years when the writing was on the wall.

  Thanks for all the good work, RMN, that made a difference, holding a mirror up to society for all the good and the bad and everything in between. Post leaders, my hope is that you have the strength to focus more than ever the basic tenets of good journalism, that you minimize profitability expectations to a realistic balance, and that the new generation is tapped for all the innovation to keep good journalism alive. Peace.

• February 26, 2009

  1:12 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  lfoley writes:

  Thinking about all the great people at the Rocky who are sad and stunned today. My heart goes out to you.

• February 26, 2009

  1:13 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Konyok writes:

  Jeez, we just might not even have a paper on Saturday. Will the Post have enough lead time to publish an edition?

  Tumbleweeds in my mind's eye ...

• February 26, 2009

  1:13 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  RustyWon writes:

  I worked at the RMN way back in 1981 as a Verification Clerk.
  Fun job.
  Ed Stein himself was on our crew.

  I always prefered the Rocky to the Post when I subscribed to daily delivery, but it's just easier now to read the paper on-line.

  Probably more of the daily's will be going this way.

  So Long Rocky.

  Thanks for the memories.

• February 26, 2009

  1:14 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  ulbmissed writes:

  I lived in the Denver area from 1974 til 2001. The Rocky was, and always will be,fondly remembered by me. I haven't found a newspaper that can compare to the Rocky in this country. I always loved the sports section for it's complete coverage of every sport and the columnists who kept us so well informed. Rocky, you will be sorely missed. It's a sad period in history that newspapers are being phased out of our society.

• February 26, 2009

  1:14 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Squatch writes:

  I remember sitting at the Breakfast table with my Grandparents while they took turns reading the Sections they preferred and then passing the sports to me. One of the very 1st things I read on my own was the RMN sports section & Ed Dentry's Outdoor Columns. I will miss the RMN and their Tabloid format.

• February 26, 2009

  1:15 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  noneyabeeswax writes:

  Sad and horrible news. The Rocky will be greatly missed.

• February 26, 2009

  1:15 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mrtaco writes:

  this is unfortunate. rmn will be missed.

• February 26, 2009

  1:16 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  geezlouise writes:

  Why are people being so mean? These are people with families. These are your neighbors. These are more of the victims of this horrible economy. These are people who tried to do good work, and though you may not have always agreed with them, these are people who tried to shed light on your world.

• February 26, 2009

  1:17 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  boardbike writes:

  This is so sad. I loved the Rocky's format. The website was so much easier to read than 9news. RIP Rocky

• February 26, 2009

  1:20 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jandy writes:

  Raise a toast and God bless to the RMN. It was by far the best newspaper in Colorado. "Survival of the fittest" certainly does NOT apply in this case.

  My sincere condolences to the employees (especially the writers and editors) of the publication. Journalism is a lifestyle, not an occupation. These people put their souls into their work.

  Denver just lost quite a bit of its luster. RIP, RMN.

• February 26, 2009

  1:21 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  JakeMay writes:

  Today is a sad day for the newspaper industry. A great newspaper that knew what it meant to give their readers exactly what they want. It's a fantastic photo paper, and I will miss it dearly. I wish all the journalists the best in their future endeavors. I hate to see a newspaper stop publishing. When the economy begins to flourish again, let's hope newspapers like the Rocky Mountain News can resurface.

• February 26, 2009

  1:22 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DifferentPerspective writes:

  Very sad. I am sorry.

• February 26, 2009

  1:22 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  buffsblg writes:

  some answers on the Post website in a Q&A with the CEO of The Denver Newspaper Agency. All subscriptions will be converted to Post subscriptions and the Post will publish 7 days a week starting this Saturday.

  The Post has signed some of the RMN columnists:

  "The Post is pleased that veteran political reporter Lynn Bartels and Pulitzer Prize finalist Kevin Vaughan, Burt Hubbard and Gargi Chakrabarty, and columnists Mike Littwin, Tina Griego, Penny Parker and David Krieger in sports will be joining the excellent team already in place at The Post. Vincent Carroll, the Rocky's editorial page editor, will be joining The Post's editorial page. Additionally, the Rocky comics will be published in The Post as will many of the puzzles. "

  Glad to see some of these will still be available, especially Carroll whose opinions I despise, but who will hopefully keep his strong voice intact.

• February 26, 2009

  1:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gidngord writes:

  Good bye old friend....so sorry to see you go.

• February 26, 2009

  1:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Lorraine writes:

  Very sad, but times change and the writing has been on the wall for the newspaper industry for many years now.

  I won't be subscribing to the Denver Post.

• February 26, 2009

  1:24 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mytwosense writes:

  I've been reading the Rocky Mountain News for years. It was always my preferred paper over the Post, even though I'm a leftie and most of the editors of the RMN are righties (and it shows).

  I always felt the RMN did a better job of covering local news, and yes, their photographers are phenomenal. This paper rightfully deserved its Pulitzer prizes. I wish the staff nothing but the best. A lot of talent there, so I predict their careers will go on, with some interesting new twists and turns, even.

  Thanks RMN. You really will be missed.

• February 26, 2009

  1:25 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  scapulon writes:

  Sad, but so it goes. I remember reading the Mini Pages when I was a kid.

• February 26, 2009

  1:25 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  capitol_hill_conservative writes:

  Sigh. I'm sorely bummed. For the 16 years I've been in Denver the Rocky informed, entertained, amused, enriched, enlightened, delighted, and infuriated me - all the things a paper is supposed to do. You'll be missed, Rocky.

• February 26, 2009

  1:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  hlucki writes:

  I can't stand the Post. I've subscribed to the Rocky as long as I can;t remember..I'll be a loss not to have it there when I wake up in the mornings. I'll cancell my sucbscription, and go to USA Today. It's not a local paper, but it's not the pathetic Denver Post.

• February 26, 2009

  1:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Who_Me writes:

  Typically poor RMN article, can't even give readers details found elsewhere.

  "The Denver Post also announced that many popular writers and features from the Rocky will be joining The Post. Rocky Mountain News columnists Tina Griego, Penny Parker, Bill Johnson, and Mike Littwin will join The Post, as well as Dave Krieger in sports. Rocky Mountain News Editorial Page Editor Vincent Carroll will join The Post editorial board and will write an editorial page column."

  "Also joining The Post will be Rocky Mountain News staff writers Lynn Bartels (politics), Burt Hubbard (database reporting specialist), Kevin Vaughan (general assignment) and Gargi Chakrabarty (energy industry). The Post also will incorporate all Rocky Mountain News comics and many of its puzzles."

• February 26, 2009

  1:28 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LadyBird112 writes:

  Bye bye RMN.

  It has been fun posting, arguing, agreeing, whatever, with youse guys. I guess I'll be seeing you over at the Post.

• February 26, 2009

  1:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  SDcat writes:

  This is a very sad day indeed. Losing a newspaper is bad for the whole community. Good luck to all the employees in their next endeavours.

• February 26, 2009

  1:30 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LOUIE writes:

  One thing's for sure about Gene Amole, God better not try and put in a new airport! Fixed a couple of clocks once for Gene about a year or two before he passed away, he was a thinker.

• February 26, 2009

  1:32 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Konyok writes:

  Thanks for the update, buffsblg

  I am so Rocky-centric that I didn't even think of going to the Post site ... ;)

  There is a chance that in absorbing some of the Rocky's talent the Post might wind up as a stronger local voice. Let's hope so.

  Will they be ready when this unruly crew shows up on their web site? The Denver Daily might be well advised to beef up their presence, as well.

• February 26, 2009

  1:32 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mark79trans writes:

  My family will get the Post on Sundays...we still need something to start the wood stove.

• February 26, 2009

  1:33 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Dynamicdave writes:

  To everybody who made sport of the employees bad fortune in this, you talk brave (and stupid) behind a computer. Make sport of their loss to their face and I can guarantee that they would have your c*jones in a jar. No class. We'll miss you RMN. I'll miss the blogs with my friends in the Broncos section. I've gotten to meet some of the bloggers personally and I thank the RMN for making that possible. Good luck to all the employees in these tough economic times. I'm sure that everybody will land on their feet in the long run. God bless you and good luck.

• February 26, 2009

  1:34 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jmo2 writes:

  Glad Gene Amole never had to see this day! Take care brothers and sisters at the News, you'll be missed. May you resurface soon elsewhere!

• February 26, 2009

  1:35 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  fifty writes:

  Sorry for all of the families.

  I was one of those that never found a reason to read newspapers, given all of the instant news that is available through television and the Internet. Even when the newspaper arrived free at my front door, I couldn't get into reading it, since I already read the news stories the day before on the Internet.

  There are probably a lot of fixed costs in the newspaper business that make it impossible to reduce costs when revenue is down. Add to this, a recession plus new electronic competition and it is understandable why it was impossible to continue.

• February 26, 2009

  1:35 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  murph929 writes:

  Very sorry to see this paper go - I grew up hating the Post, so this is definitely a sad day. Best to the staff.

• February 26, 2009

  1:36 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  BetterEducated writes:

  Thank you for many, many years.
  You will be sorely missed in Colorado. :-(

• February 26, 2009

  1:36 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Coloheart writes:

  So long Rocky. You were my first job at 6 years old. It's hard to swallow your demise. Life changes, even when we don't want it to.

• February 26, 2009

  1:36 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  farsidefan writes:

  I grew up with the Post from the days it was delivered in the afternoon. Even though I was not a subscriber, it is sad to lose a paper that brought another perspective to the debate. I bought the Rockie on the way to work.
  Sorry for the families and employees.
  I will miss the Preps reporting.
  Gene Amole is probably sobbing in his turkey dressing. I have kept two columns of his: Turkey dressing column and a column on cold beer.
  
  Mr Rosen you can go work for Caldara .

  Does this mean the Rockies will lose money and they will increase the cost of beer at Coors field ?

• February 26, 2009

  1:37 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  StillUndecided writes:

  My sincere condolences to every person losing their job and to their families. I wish them all well.

  We have always subscribed to the Rocky and will not be switching to the Post. I expect to see them folding soon as well.

• February 26, 2009

  1:37 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  SalRuibal writes:

  When I was a kid, my Dad used to call me "Son of the Rocky Mountain News" because first thing every morning I would rush out to get the paper on the front porch. "You weren't born in the hospital," he joked. "You were delivered on the front porch." I never got to write for the Rocky, but I became a sports reporter for USA TODAY 22 years ago and I'm still there. But I'll always be a Son of the Rocky Mountain News.

• February 26, 2009

  1:37 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LMP writes:

  Goodbye old, dear friend - and best of luck to your amazingly talented writers, photographers, editors and everyone else at the Rocky.

  Over 35 years of reading the Rocky Mountain News for me. This closure means I'll be getting my news solely online. (I don't do broadsheet, hate the format.)

  Even though it has been coming for awhile, it's still sad to see the end of an era.

• February 26, 2009

  1:39 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Gainer writes:

  Anyone who is happy Denver is losing a newspaper has something to hide. Competition makes everyone better...and more honest. I hope someone or something comes along to fill this huge void.

• February 26, 2009

  1:40 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Really writes:

  One less left sided media outlet in Denver!!! Don't let the door hit you on the way out!

• February 26, 2009

  1:41 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  JSeifert writes:

  Well as usual They get rid of the more balanced Newspaper and keep the liberal Cr&p rag. Tommorow will be the last time I read a Denver paper. I am hoping and praying that the Denver post fails in 1 week because its not even worth it to use as Bird paper.
  I hope the owners are living on the street in a month.

• February 26, 2009

  1:41 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gidngord writes:

  Hey Denver Post, get smart and change your format to tabloid. I will then subscribe. Maybe the change will add a few years to your existence. Look what it did for the News in 1946.

• February 26, 2009

  1:42 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  INC writes:

  To start with the Joint operating agreement was to keep BOTH papers afloat. I have never advertised in the post. I placed an add in the DNA and was double billed once from the rocky and a second time from the post. the post was much more expensive.

  Now that the news paper war is about to end I will share a story about it told to me by my grandmother. (an avid Rocky reader also)
  Denver had a morning paper (Rocky) and an evening paper (post)
  during the late 70's the post switched to mornings.
  My Grandfather had subscriptions to both as all Denver intellectuals did.
  Back during the last Depression the Post bought up all the available news printing paper for wide spread format. effectively rendering the Rocky without suitable paper to print on in a wide spread format...
  so The RMN bought paper to print on that was only suitable for "tabloid" style of format... Readership/circulation skyrocketed... and the Rocky Kept printing in that format. thus why The Rocky Mountain News reads like a book. and the post is still Wide spread format.
  the competition between the two kept advertising costs reasonable. now I will bet anyone, anything, the post will raise add cost as there is no more competition from the Rocky Mountain News...

  the post is still the greedy of the two as now they will have a monopoly on print news paper... (something fought over for the last 100 years or so)

  I wonder why The powers that be will not let the Rocky become an internet based newspaper from now on? I really dislike the post and as i read the RMN online, I see no reason why The RMN cannot continue to be an alternative source here In Denver.

  As it is the Internet that is killing Newsprint all over the country.
  Yet the RMN could thrive if it were in this medium exclusively.
  but I am sure the post says NO.

• February 26, 2009

  1:42 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  brentmeister writes:

  The liberal media is dying, at last

• February 26, 2009

  1:43 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sweetater writes:

  I am going to miss everyone on this post and our banter
  Hank I sure will miss Rename that story with you. As far as books my friend search for John Dunning mysteries He is a local author in Arvada, and setting is in Denver
  Co LIb,keep up all the good work with the younger generations
  Buffsbig, keep up with sticking up for what you believe in
  Not your friend, I will always consider you one of mine
  Going to miss you all and LUV YA

• February 26, 2009

  1:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  UNV_ME writes:

  My news will now come from television and national news websites. The Post's paper and website is not user friendly.

• February 26, 2009

  1:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  INC writes:

  BTW all you "ditto heads" the Rocky Mountain News has always been the conservative paper...

  brentmeister, Really... to you guys ALL media apart from rush is "leftist or liberal"

• February 26, 2009

  1:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Not_A_Fan writes:

  Can't say I'm too saddened by this news. The media today is so liberal and controlled by powerful forces that it just became a shill for the new world order, pro-death, pro-socialism, anti-God, and anti-America agenda. Why is the alternative media doing so well? Hmmmm...

• February 26, 2009

  1:48 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  bobdylanindenver writes:

  Ha ha...that's what happens when liberals run something.

  The Rocky was started by a conertvative, and ran into the ground by a liberal.

  Our country was started by conservatives and is being ran into the ground by liberals.

  I'm glad to see the Rocky go under as they've crushed the speech of thousands of Coloradians that voiced an opinion that doesn't reflect their political correct views.

  Liberals screw everything up.

• February 26, 2009

  1:49 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sweetater writes:

  Oh yeah, Thingfish I didn't take offense the other day and meant to tell you my mom taught us at a young age When voting you really vote against someone not for them
  And to everyone else I havve always enjoyed the different opinions
  IF we were all the same think how boring this world would really be!!! See you on the post

• February 26, 2009

  1:50 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  onusone writes:

  Another large corp. run into the ground by mismanagement.I wonder what the top dogs bonus was?

• February 26, 2009

  1:50 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  zuropa_man writes:

  Another (liberal fish wrap) one bites the dust!!!

• February 26, 2009

  1:52 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sheepherder writes:

  Tried to get my username on the Post site, and it's taken! So if you see sheepherder over there, it's not me!

• February 26, 2009

  1:53 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LeLo writes:

  No, brentmeister, people are losing their jobs, working stiffs, folks who are just trying to support their families. This has nothing to do with liberal or conservative. Readership is not the problem. Newspapers still have a larger audience than any other media out there. The problem is advertisers. Between their migration to new forms of media, and the economic downturn, advertising revenues are down significantly, leading to the demise of weaker products.

  More to the point, however, is you are a heartless SOB who should probably wonder how you would feel if you were told the business you work for was shutting down as of tomorrow.

• February 26, 2009

  1:53 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  zuropa_man writes:

  Wait a minute... why are they setting up a Federal bailout by the tax payers??? The stinks of capitalism... (GASP!)

• February 26, 2009

  1:53 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  bobdylanindenver writes:

  INC, you are an idiot. You have never made any sense in anything that youve mentioned.

  You're such a retard.

• February 26, 2009

  1:54 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  GunnyBob writes:

  The Post should take note that they are swaying on the edge of the same precipice and are now firing people to make ends meet and pay for the publisher's corporate jet. Hate does not sell and readers can read columns not filled with hate online elsewhere.

  This means Littwin will need a tether. It will take a strong editor to control Littwin's extremism and intolerance, which Littwin can't control and which will show up in his Post columns if he isn't properly supervised. Frankly, I expect Littwin to have his name attached to two failed papers within 18 months, max.

• February 26, 2009

  1:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Not_A_Fan writes:

  I recall during the past election that the RMN totally ignored Ron Paul and his message - it was very blatant. Also, the RMN recently ignored the lack of collapse of the Chinese high-rise that burned to a crisp, but didn't fall down, unlike WTC #7 that imploded on 9/11 with no plane crash and a teeny-tiny fire. How's that for truth-in-reporting and/or investigative reporting. Welcome to the NWO.

• February 26, 2009

  1:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  moneyfornothing writes:

  Bummer. Now if we can find a way to get 9news to follow them...

• February 26, 2009

  1:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LeLo writes:

  And bobdylanindenver, "The Rocky was started by a conservative, and run into the ground by a liberal."

  Are you kidding me? I know John Temple personally. As a liberal I can say for sure no self-respecting liberal would consider him one of us. He is a hell of a newspaper person, and a good man, but certainly not a liberal.

• February 26, 2009

  2:01 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  benn writes:

  lol Gunny Bob - Talking about hate. You sir, are a fool

• February 26, 2009

  2:01 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  piping_up writes:

  The loss of the Rocky is a tragedy for the people of Colorado. I too wonder what Gene Amole would have to say about this. Since he was first and foremost a businessman, I imagine he would have had a great deal of insight.

  Mr. Temple, I will be anxiously awaiting your next book: "Newspaper Wars."

• February 26, 2009

  2:01 p.m.

  Grim_Reefer writes:

  (This comment was removed by the site staff.)

• February 26, 2009

  2:02 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LeLo writes:

  "you're such a retard"

  wow, bobdylanindenver, great discourse, you truly raise the level of debate to new heights

• February 26, 2009

  2:02 p.m.

  sheepherder writes:

  (This comment was removed by the site staff.)

• February 26, 2009

  2:03 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  larry1958 writes:

  What a sad day! Don't blame the demise of the Rocky tottaly on the economy. The Rocky was conservitive on the editorial page, but the news was left. Not as left as the Denver Post, but left. The wrong paper is going out of business! The Denver Post will not be getting my business! I will not support their agenda! They don't even hide it anymore, who they support. I'd rather have no newspaper in Denver, than have the Denver Post!

• February 26, 2009

  2:03 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  the_ripper writes:

  Bye Littwin, you won't be missed.

• February 26, 2009

  2:04 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  IRUNMAN writes:

  My heart goes out to the workers and families.

• February 26, 2009

  2:06 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Superstar writes:

  There should be some sort of community appreciation for the Rocky and its staff. Some kind of "So long, Rocky" event where people can put closure on this. What are we supposed to do, just read tomorrow's paper, and then that's it?

• February 26, 2009

  2:06 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  wiley2333 writes:

  For all the people that are writing negative things....bear in mind that a lot of people with families are losing their jobs. Even if you disagree with some of the editorial of the paper, these are people.

• February 26, 2009

  2:07 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  CaptainObvious writes:

  JSeifert writes:

  "I am hoping and praying that the Denver post fails in 1 week because its not even worth it to use as Bird paper.
  I hope the owners are living on the street in a month."

  What an a$s! You are the poster-boy for National Condom Week. Again, as I said in responding to denverrose's asinine tripe, I only wish I was there to watch Karma catch you and throttle you. What a bung-hole. Cheering for people's unemployment? Completely lacking any integrity and class. But you'll get yours soon.

• February 26, 2009

  2:07 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  GK writes:

  GunnyBob: "Hate does not sell and readers can read columns not filled with hate online elsewhere.

  This means Littwin will need a tether. It will take a strong editor to control Littwin's extremism and intolerance, which Littwin can't control and which will show up in his Post columns if he isn't properly supervised."

  Look who's talking.

• February 26, 2009

  2:12 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  den2mke writes:

  I wonder if this is truly the end of the road here...This story had an interesting comment that the masthead, archives and web-site would be sold separately. In other words, someone can buy the assets that have value, start with a ready-made electronic business and not be burdened by the legacy costs of a newspaper operation.

  Something tells me maybe we haven't seen the last of the Rocky--and maybe some of its writers--at least electronically...

• February 26, 2009

  2:13 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  NQ writes:

  This is a sad day for the general public in Denver and for the workers of the RMN. What a shame this paper will cease to exist. Thank you for all your hard work and you will be missed.

• February 26, 2009

  2:14 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  B300 writes:

  It is sad to see it go. I delivered the RMN from 1966 through 1970 and I have read the paper all my life. I dont like the Denver Post, its format su$ks.
  I hope the workers will be ok, good luck everyone!

• February 26, 2009

  2:14 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  vinnysix writes:

  awww this blows...altho i worked for the post for a short time..i enjoyed going to both sites each day to read the news..often times the rocky had da upper hand on good stories...will be missed

• February 26, 2009

  2:15 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LOUIE writes:

  SUPERSTAR, you're right, a bring your own bottle and cigar party at the ROCKY in appreciation for all they've done for the community tomorrow long about 5PM so everyone can be there. That would be fitting, great suggestion.

• February 26, 2009

  2:16 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Harvey writes:

  Just to clear up a few inaccuracies in a couple posts in the comments section here …
  The Denver Daily News does NOT have an Obama sign in any of its windows and has not endorsed ANY candidate or issue since its inception. The paper takes a neutral stance on everything.
  Also, Jon Bowman is a wonderful person and fine reporter for Fox 31, but he has not been associated with the Denver Daily News for years.
  Sorry to see this day come for the Rocky. I wish everyone there the best.

• February 26, 2009

  2:16 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  RomBrew writes:

  Farwell RMN, I too will miss the conversations on this site. The tabloid style was the best. I will remember the RMN news fondly with stories of my Great Grandparents, Grandparents, Mom and Dad, relatives and friends alike, and how it was so special to see your names in print on the kitchen table, reconized for your achievements.
  My grand kids won't know what its like to actually physically read a paper and get lost in a news story, anticipating the Sunday Funnies and viewing historic headlines in print. There is something very organic in the feeling of news"paper" and ink stained fingers.
  The best to all of the staffers Even Dave Krieger who I didn't always agree with but was kind enough to answer and respond personally to my emails.
  Good Luck to all.

• February 26, 2009

  2:16 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  ptcruiser writes:

  Free market system, not everyone can win. Good luck.

• February 26, 2009

  2:17 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  HisPrinceMichael writes:

  Stunned. Absolutely, stunned.

  Note to World-Class Newspaper: Mark Brown, Music Journalist
  AND Human Being par exellance, is NOW available.

  Thank-you for being, and allowing, a TRUE voice-of-Freedom.
  May The True and Living God, bless the ENTIRE RNM staff
  and their respective families.

  Rocky, I hardly knew ya. Until further notice: I'm DONE with
  "American" "Newspapers".

• February 26, 2009

  2:18 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Barbarosa writes:

  In related news, Vince Carroll, Bill Johnson, Mike Littwin, Tina Griego and Dave Krieger have been hired by th Post. http://poynter.org/forum/view_post.as...

• February 26, 2009

  2:18 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  evaald writes:

  Bernie,

  We will miss your bad NHL playoff predictions and your annual article telling us what a terrible city we have in Detroit...well maybe we won't. It is a shame to lose a rival though.

• February 26, 2009

  2:19 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Truthiness writes:

  To all of you commenters writing mean-spirited things: screw you. I hope your job goes next.

• February 26, 2009

  2:19 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  MrYeahBut writes:

  Definitely a bummer.

• February 26, 2009

  2:20 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  vimbo writes:

  Goodbye, old friend. I dislike what you've become, but I desperately miss what you were. As a seventh generation Coloradan, today's news makes me feel like I've lost an old friend I hadn't spoken to in quite some time. Hope those few staffers who still understand what journalism is and should be land on their feet.

• February 26, 2009

  2:21 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  newfish writes:

  I agree NQ. This is very sad. I didn't often agree with the editorial board of the Rocky, but the reporting was pretty good and the competition good for Colorado. It's very sad to see the history and people of the Rocky go. Best wishes to all.

• February 26, 2009

  2:22 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Falcon4100 writes:

  how about a bailout from the feds? everyone else is getting one.

• February 26, 2009

  2:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  INC writes:

  bobdylanindenver,
  your blind allegiance to conservatism along with others like you have dragged our country down long enough!

  We as a country lag behind the rest of the world in:
  solar power and production,
  Magnetic levitation rail,
  High speed rail,
  bio science
  infrastructure

  Not only does it take a "Liberal" to repair republican incopetence, but also it takes a Liberal to excel in innovation and invention.
  Einstein and Edison were Liberals.

  voodoo Reaganomics is the downfall of our country.

  Religion flies you into buildings... Science flies you to the Moon.

  bobdylanindenver, go pound sand.

• February 26, 2009

  2:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gerryf writes:

  I can't believe how many good riddance messages there are on here! It's great to see such compassion for 200 people who will now be out of work. These people have families! You're happy to see people without jobs. My faith in human nature just dropped down a notch. Thanks Denver residents.

  To all of you people who like to see this happen, I assure you that as newspapers are faced with this, the ultimate choice, of closing down, it is a sad day for our society. As more newspapers fall, the dumbing-down of the American people will leave no one there to be the watch dog of public officials.

  You should all be ashamed for having such a flippant view of this very sad day in people's lives.

• February 26, 2009

  2:24 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  tamole writes:

  From Tustin Amole

  I lost a dear friend today. The newspaper I learned to read as a child. The newspaper where I worked for nine years. The newspaper where my father worked for 27 years. I can’t stop crying.

  My father, Gene Amole, loved the Rocky almost as much as loved his family. He delighted in going to the newsroom each day. He loved the camaraderie, the irreverent banter and the glazed doughnuts in the old Rocky cafeteria. I miss him every day! I had the great privilege of coming to work every day for nine years to see him sitting at his desk.

  I am glad he did not live to see this. For me, losing the newspaper that became nearly synonymous with his name is a little like losing him all over again.

  Of course, the Rocky changed after his death. It moved from the corner of Elati and Colfax where it stood for so many years to where it proudly stands now. A few months before he died, the city of Denver honored him by renaming that block of Elati Gene Amole Way. When the building sold to the city of Denver as the site of a new jail, my family and I asked that the signs be taken down and the street name restored to Elati Street. I have the original sign and will cherish it the rest of my life. What mattered most is that he was alive to see it put up. When the Rocky moved to its new location, editor John Temple hung the extra street signs in the newsroom. Now those will come down, too.

  What will never change is the legacy he left both at the Rocky and in Denver history. He chronicled the old days of Curtis Street and north Denver where he grew up. He watched as the city grew and wrote of its greatness and of its foibles. He was never afraid to speak his mind, but he never wrote just for reaction. On his desk was a stone paperweight engraved with the words “Write to express, not to impress.” That he did.

• February 26, 2009

  2:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sarahl writes:

  Shame on all of you who have posted negative comments here. The Rocky staffers are a hard-working bunch. You may not agree with everything that has been written in its pages, but the Rocky Mountain News is full of talented, compassionate, loving people. And they have families, just like most of you. How dare you take pride in anyone losing their job.
  God Bless the Rocky Mountain News and everyone who works there. I will always consider you my family.
  With love and a heavy heart,
  Sarah Langbein
  former Rocky writer

• February 26, 2009

  2:28 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  vicenzabat writes:

  Throwing papers for RMN was my first job ever. I was about 12 or 13. It was quite fun and very challenging through the winter months as a shopping cart didn't move through the snow well. I'm thankful for the experience I recieved. I'm so sad to see it go....it just doesn't seem right.

• February 26, 2009

  2:28 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mokey writes:

  Sorry to hear about this.

  I wish all the reporters, staff, carriers, etc. the best of luck in transitioning.

  I really enjoyed the Rocky for the 10+ years I've been in Colorado.

• February 26, 2009

  2:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Diff writes:

  I have always read and like the Rocky Mountain News, I have read the post often as well. I will miss the Rocky for sure and posting here also :-) I feel for all those who are loosing jobs or ending careers as well!
  Best wishes to you and yours!

  The longer term sadness of this is that DENVER will now be essentially a one paper town. The ability of the public to get news and information from two rather than a single source is a real loss to the community!

  Maybe some organization somewhere will step up to try and cover the gap...

  Good luck to all from the RMN - and to all the fellow posters -
  Take Care!

• February 26, 2009

  2:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  BroncoDan writes:

  I almost feel like crying my self! Can't imagine life without the Rocky...hope Drew and Stein can carry on, along with the RMN name in some form or another.

  reader since 1960...

• February 26, 2009

  2:31 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DragonInTheSky writes:

  Chopper writes:

  "The End of news has come to Denver (Never had any real news stories here anyway.) Please take the Post and the rest of the television and print media with you."

  If you truly feel this way, why are you even on this site reading this article? There is nothing that bothers me more than a hypocrite, and you are a full blown one Chopper.

  I liked the Rocky, and am sad to see it go.

• February 26, 2009

  2:32 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  benn writes:

  I wish my brother-in-law, a Rocky layout designer the best of luck. We love you Bri!

• February 26, 2009

  2:33 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  BroncoDan writes:

  Just to make sure I post something lame, like so many others, guess I'll blame Bush...

• February 26, 2009

  2:33 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  nativegirl writes:

  Heartbreaking.

  Sorry to see you go, RMN.

• February 26, 2009

  2:34 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jpnc writes:

  maybe the papers/media should have stayed neutral and objective to both political parties instead of in the tank for the left, and alienating 46% of your read base. I'll never buy a paper or pay for a movie again. You didn't report fairly, now look at what we have to deal with now that reality is setting in. Good riddance..

• February 26, 2009

  2:34 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  coyote4 writes:

  This is a sad day for Denver, for Colorado, and for good journalism everywhere. Actually, we're all (all Colorado citizens) at fault for the demise of the News. Most of us didn't realize the unique privilege of having a two-newspaper town -- now it's gone. Frankly, I was hoping that the News would reinvent itself as a virtual newspaper and be available online only. I gladly would have subscribed for a reasonable fee, similar to the Wall Street Journal.

• February 26, 2009

  2:34 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DontBelieveWhatURead writes:

  Weren't these the same people writing coulmns telling us how great NAFTA, outsourcing and illegal alien insourcing is? Well get in the unemployment line behind manufacturing, construction, hightech and service. One middle class job equals one newspaper subscription. Goodbye and Good Riddance. And don't forget Push One for English when you finally get through to the unemployment office. I pushed TWO "ADIOS".

• February 26, 2009

  2:35 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  denverhistory writes:

  It's so sad the Rocky couldn't make it to its 150th birthday, which would have been on April 23. For a fascinating history on the Rocky, read Robert Perkin's 1959 book "The First Hundred Years." The Rocky and the Post have always been rivals, though, contrary to the story above that insists the newspaper war only started in 1926. The "war" goes back to the early 1900s, when Post owner Fred Bonfils attacked Rocky owner Thomas Patterson in 1907. Such history, and all gone. What a sad day for Denver.

• February 26, 2009

  2:35 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  HisPrinceMichael writes:

  To ALL my fellow posters, agree or disagree, May God Bless
  You and Yours. Remember, you read it (...and read it, and read it..) here FIRST:
  THE Battle, has just BEGUN:
  http://www.all4webs.com/q/f/love4yahweh/

• February 26, 2009

  2:36 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Aja1977 writes:

  Farewell, Rocky. We're so fortunate to have had two viewpoints and two competing newspapers for so long in this city. This is a sad day indeed. My best wishes to everyone there.

  Oh, and to poster Iron - the first rule in journalism school? Leads only have one sentence. Do your research before ragging on others.

• February 26, 2009

  2:36 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  piping_up writes:

  "den2mke writes:

  I wonder if this is truly the end of the road here...This story had an interesting comment that the masthead, archives and web-site would be sold separately. In other words, someone can buy the assets that have value, start with a ready-made electronic business and not be burdened by the legacy costs of a newspaper operation.

  Something tells me maybe we haven't seen the last of the Rocky--and maybe some of its writers--at least electronically..."

  This is an excellent point. The website could be very successful on its own with the legacy of the Rocky behind it.

• February 26, 2009

  2:38 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  PeaceThruSuperiorFirepower writes:

  Good bye RMN. It is a sign of the times. You can get so far offering a product with minimal value. The Denver Post and many other big city newspapers won't be far behind.

• February 26, 2009

  2:38 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Rudeseal writes:

  It's amazing, the Denver Post should have shut down too.. Neither paper published it's own stories, they were all written by out of state reporters, and in the case of the Denver Post, all it's articles were reprints from the New York Times and the LA Times.. geeze..

• February 26, 2009

  2:39 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  SilentRunning writes:

  It's unfortunate, but this is what's going to be happening all over the world over the next 5-10 years. There will not be newspapers at all within a decade. Magazines too. It's extremely likely that printed books will become a thing of the past as electronic tablets become replacements.
  This is not at all shocking. Not one person should be remotely surprised. This has been coming for about 20 years or so. Ever since the home computer came into play, things have been progressing towards this time.

  Onward, over yonder.

• February 26, 2009

  2:43 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  FormalistAesthete writes:

  This is just the latest step in the trend away from mass media and towards niche media. IMHO, this is a bad sign. Newspapers like the Rocky are effectively prevented from being explicitly one-sided because they need to have mass appeal in order to maximize their revenue. Niche media, basically Internet blogs, are cheap to operate and don't need to have mass appeal, so that they can cater to, and reinforce the biases of, specific segments of the population.

• February 26, 2009

  2:45 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gerryf writes:

  Hey Rudeseal, are you on crack? Where do you think local stories about Denver come from? They don't just fall out of the clear blue sky.

  And for everyone thinking that online is the way to get news, where do you think the reporting on web sites come from? NEWSPAPER REPORTERS! So before all you next generation "I don't read newspaper" types get all glib about the "oldness" of printed news, just remember that reporters gather the news for online sites as well.

• February 26, 2009

  2:45 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  GladysKravitz writes:

  Good news is that the Post will carryover all the comics from the RMN, so there will be something nice to read to brighten my day.

  Note to parents: ead the paper with your kids and keep future generations informed.

• February 26, 2009

  2:49 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  ilene writes:

  good bye old friend.

• February 26, 2009

  2:49 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gerryf writes:

  "This is just the latest step in the trend away from mass media and towards niche media. IMHO, this is a bad sign. Newspapers like the Rocky are effectively prevented from being explicitly one-sided because they need to have mass appeal in order to maximize their revenue. Niche media, basically Internet blogs, are cheap to operate and don't need to have mass appeal, so that they can cater to, and reinforce the biases of, specific segments of the population."

  I agree FormalistAesthete

  All most web sites do is link to sites, mostly newspaper sites, that do the actual reporting. Most web sites don't do any actual reporting of the facts, they just steal a newspapers facts and comment. That is not journalism, that's nitch commentary, and god knows we have way too much of that junk on the internet. Hopefully, the Rocky will evolve into a site for reporting. Our country desperately needs it.

• February 26, 2009

  2:49 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Johntrythisone writes:

  What will the people use to paper their bird cages?

• February 26, 2009

  2:52 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  GoodNewsGuy writes:

  i'll only renew with the Post so I have paper to put in the bottom of my rabbit cages. That's about all the Post is good for

• February 26, 2009

  2:52 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  davies writes:

  I nabbed 'davies' for a user name again over at the Post, Sheepherder. I posted one comment, mostly just to see if it worked. Well other people get to give you a thumbs up or down and I was at a 'minus 3' by the time I viewed my comment - too funny! Hope you get a good user ID over there - how about 'Sheepshorner'? Sheepskinner? Muleskinner? ;-)

  LOUIE, that Post site is hard to figure out. Get on there some night at 4 AM and give it a study for awhile, then you can give me a tutorial. C'mon, you know you'll be reading it while the sun comes up one of these days. Mytwosense, the editors at RMN are righties? Bosh! RMN is liberal, and the Post is "liberaler" :-) Take care.

• February 26, 2009

  2:52 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Konyok writes:

  Thanks for the correction, Harvey.

  Do you know if the Denver Daily has any plans to take up the slack?

• February 26, 2009

  2:53 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  doncow writes:

  Wow, these liberals are surprised they wrote themselves out of jobs? Hey, YOU are the reason for your own demise. Let this be a lesson to other barely-making-it newspapers -- those of us who are not liberal will not buy your paper if you continue to be biased. So, being biased or being employed -- which do you prefer?

  And the economy, gentlemen, we owe the economy to you and your choice of people like Chris Dodd and Barnie Frank and Barbara Boxer who all thought Fannie May and and Freddy Mac were doing great. You have been in charge of the purse strings in Congress for the last two years of President Bush's term and that is the time where we have had problems . . . for the last two years.

  Oh, and every state in the country that has problems and wants to get into my pocket -- they are all liberal. Amazing, isn't it. So while I pity your families, I pray this will have you contemplating the error in your judgment in being liberal.

  Just one more point . . . you are losing jobs because a company, a big business (those things you hate) is having problems making money. I don't know about you, but I have yet to be hired by a poor person. I've always been hired by big business -- and big businesses that are not handcuffed by unions.

  It amazes me how you don't get that one plus one equals two. In this case talk down big business and charge them even greater taxes equals less jobs at less money for you. Wow, does it take a math PhD to understand that if you take dollars from the pie for taxes you have less money to pay for jobs? Duh!

• February 26, 2009

  2:53 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Johntrythisone writes:

  Oh wait, I remember. The Post

• February 26, 2009

  2:54 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  BroncoBetty writes:

  Gee this is just awful. Have always preferrred the Rocky Mountain News. Wish it was staying and the Post was closing if one of them had to close. Not happy at all. Sure going to miss the News. This is a sad day for the customers, and the whole Rocky Mountain News area. Good luck to all the staff. Have really enjoyed your articles and your writing and your style. Especially have enjoyed your sports section and your spotlight section. You all will be sorely missed.

• February 26, 2009

  2:54 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Roccotool writes:

  Isn't it fun "embracing change"?

• February 26, 2009

  2:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  denverrma writes:

  I tended bar at the Denver Press Club during college. The friendly rivalry of workers, writers and editors from both papers coming in at lunch and at the end of the day was a good thing! Too bad the better paper is closing down. Good luck Post folks and please...try to keep it real! Sad day for Denver and its newspaper history.

• February 26, 2009

  2:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  robc50 writes:

  This is what happens when idiots run a business. This is what happens when you "create" news rather than report it. This is what happens when for years you continually ignore constructive feedback from readers. This is what happens when you employ an army of no talent a-clowns as reporters.

  GOODBYE, FINALLY!!!!!

• February 26, 2009

  2:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  PeaceThruSuperiorFirepower writes:

  Good bye RMN. I'm afraid the shuttering of this once fine institution is a sign of the times. You can only get so far offering a product of minimal value. The Denver Post and many other big city newspapers face a similar future.

• February 26, 2009

  2:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Konyok writes:

  davies,

  Where are you posting?

  I just posted on "Post-Ed" and it didn't require me to register.

• February 26, 2009

  2:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  davehughes writes:

  So sad that the 150 year tradition is over. If I read any Denver paper it was the Rocky Mountain News, not the Post.

  Gene Amole is turning over in his grave.

• February 26, 2009

  2:59 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  rasLiberty writes:

  The RMN was my Denver paper from the time I first arrived in Colorado.It is intertwined with Colorado history and me personally.
  John Coit was,in my opinion one of the greatest columnist ever!
  Though I do not live in Denver any longer,I have kept up with Colorado news through the Rocky. It will be missed.

• February 26, 2009

  2:59 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gopbodybagz writes:

  inc: you are a good one, same for sweetater, buffsbig, SheikYurbooty,HankReardon, Jersey, darkman and the rest of the "real" people on these forums.
  thanks to all of you. may your lives be long, enjoyable journeys.

  to the extremists that find me an insufferable boor, remember:
  "opinions are like rectums, everybody has one."

  i got my first RMN June 15, 1974.
  thank you for giving us the news, RMN.
  
  last post - gopbbz

• February 26, 2009

  2:59 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Lesh writes:

  I havn't paid for a RMN for 10 years since they banned private party gun classifieds. I was a lifetime subscriber before then. So long.

• February 26, 2009

  3 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  nightninja13 writes:

  good bye and good luck!

• February 26, 2009

  3:01 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Bipolar writes:

  I want a refund

• February 26, 2009

  3:06 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Arkangelsk writes:

  Be honest. No one will miss RMN.

• February 26, 2009

  3:08 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Hikergal42 writes:

  I'm so sad for the employees. I fell in Love with Rocky when I returned to Colorado in 1991. I was hoping that someone would buy it but no luck. My dog will be sad too, she retrieved my newspaper for me every morning. Don't care for the "other" newspaper so I guess I'll be going Paperless now. :( My life will never be the same... Thanks Rocky's employees for all the wonderful years!

• February 26, 2009

  3:08 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  lbeth writes:

  Such a shame, such a loss for Denver and Colorado. I don't understand the nasty comments some have posted-- small people, I guess, who simply don't understand how important a free and robust press is, no matter how much one may disagree with the editorial comments. I just want to say thank you to the Rocky staff for all you have meant to this community. We are better because of the work you have done. The Voice of the Rocky will be missed.

• February 26, 2009

  3:12 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gerryf writes:

  I can't be more clear here. PEOPLE ARE LOSING THEIR JOBS! I don't care what you think of the slant of the RMN or their writers, many Denver residents with families will now be without jobs. I wonder how some of you would feel if RMN reporters commented about your job being eliminated: "Hey, Sun Microsystems just laid off 227 Denver employees. Good riddance, I hated Sun server products anyway." Doesn't sound too nice, does it?

• February 26, 2009

  3:14 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  SlouchingTowardBoulder writes:

  The Post announced that it is hiring "the hippie" Mike Littwin, Bill Johnson and Tina Griego. This far-left triumvirate will continue to spew their leftist vomit until the Post also folds.

• February 26, 2009

  3:14 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sheepherder writes:

  davies...I like sheepskinner! Gotta keep a name that people can make fun of!

  I'll miss INC, I'm not sure where I will get my daily dose of liberal indoctrination now! In good fun INC!

• February 26, 2009

  3:15 p.m.

  Bipolar writes:

  (This comment was removed by the site staff.)

• February 26, 2009

  3:16 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Mjiroch writes:

  This is what happens when you suppress the truth. The truth that is right in the public's faces, defy common sense and report news that is only politically correct. This newspapers looses all credibility when it only thinks of how some minority may react to truths about itself, etc. You can not suppress the truth when every one is dealing with the truth on a daily basis. example: illegal aliens. Good bye, so long, farewell, I am glad to see you PC idiots out of a job. You created this situation, by being so selective in your reporting.

• February 26, 2009

  3:17 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sweetater writes:

  Sheepherder My post name is Sweey Potato on Denver Post
  Can't believe someone took your Sheepherder already
  Along with Davies and other names How bout LIL BO PEEP? She was a sheepherder ( Laugh I am kidding )

• February 26, 2009

  3:18 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Costner writes:

  I would like to suggest that folks log in to the Washington Post if they would like a "fix" on blogging sometimes.
  WaPo has very good stories and blogs.
  It is not as "regional" as RMN - and it leans towards politics but has other stuff that you may enjoy blogging on.

  I will miss you Rocky Mountain News.
  May the Snooze be with you!!!

• February 26, 2009

  3:18 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Marshdale writes:

  Sheepherder;

  Why do you so disdane Griego and Johnson. I happen to be friends with him and we disagree on many things, but he is a decent man, who has manners and will talk to anybody he meets. You don't make it in this business for past 30 years by not engauging people of all sides and belief systems. Give them a break.

  Good buy Rocky and to all of my friends there. Justin, from the DPC.

  I will even miss Rosen's column. I disagreed with him about 80% of the time but he was as entertaining as he was provocative.

• February 26, 2009

  3:20 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  buffsblg writes:

  I already have this name on the Post site. I do find it less user friendly, although the thumbs up and thumbs down is interesting. At least you get to see if you hit a nerve. See you over there some day.

• February 26, 2009

  3:21 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  JinxandJade writes:

  My mother writes (wrote) for the RMN. With this news, I find myself the only one to be employed in my family. I am a 21 year old student and have a part-time administrative job. How can I support my family?

• February 26, 2009

  3:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sheepherder writes:

  Marshdale, I just don't agree with them on almost anything. No distain, actually it has been fun blogging on their columns...I guess they did a good job in getting conversations started! Just stupid blogger talk my friend!

• February 26, 2009

  3:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  RMNreader32yrs writes:

  We are 32 year subscribers and will miss getting the real news from the RMN. I will especially miss the Saturday Editor's comments and have empathy at the decisions he has made. I do not look forward to the Post and am not sure when my subscription ends that we may renew. Good luck Mr. Temple and our friend Marty Meitus and to the staff of RMN.

• February 26, 2009

  3:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  BKindel writes:

  This is sad news, though not very surprising. My thanks to all who have worked so hard over the years to keep the News alive. The Denver newspaper scene will be incomplete without that second voice.

• February 26, 2009

  3:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sheepherder writes:

  sweetater..hummmm, LILBO PEEP...I like that too! LOL!

• February 26, 2009

  3:27 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Flyboy1966 writes:

  Let's see . . .

  The Rocky Mountain News . . . the SF Chronicle . . . the Seattle P-I . . . the NY Times . . . the LA Times . . . the Chicago Trib . . . the Boston Globe . . . and the list goes on and on.

  All are circling the drain. Any possible common demoninators?

  This might be a crazy stretch, but when a business actively mocks, ridicules and generally alienates 50% of its potential market base, they tend to have a hard time staying in business. And quite frankly, any business leaders who would not actively pursue strategies to correct that condition should considered to be irresponsible or fools or both.

  This is the real "fairness doctrine." No governmental regulations, requirements, safety nets, or special interest perks. Just a pure example of supply and demand. Quite simply, there is fewer and fewer people "demanding" what these newspapers are "supplying."

• February 26, 2009

  3:28 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  NCMike writes:

  One less left-wing purveyor of propaganda and twisted truths, the better.

• February 26, 2009

  3:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  expats writes:

  I will miss the Rocky! And, I'll miss the spirited convesations here on this blog. A sad dat for Colorado.

• February 26, 2009

  3:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  kcuster writes:

  In the late 1940s and early 1050s I would pedal by Roadmaster around the neighborhood every morning and deliver 150 papers to Rocky Mountain News readers. In the 1970s my son did the same for about 3 years. Those were the days when the paper was put on the porch, not dropped at the curb. On the front page of every paper was a lighthouse with beacon shinning, the symbol of how real journalism was showing us the way. Alas, the lighthouse has gone dark and now we have no balance of opinion on issues important to us all. Goodbye old friend, a piece of America is gone.
  KCG

• February 26, 2009

  3:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mosleyjackson writes:

  Dear Rocky Staff---

  Thank you for doing a stellar job, all of you. Even those of you who were 'laid off' months or years ago, post-JOA. We could see it coming all the way back when it was announced The Post would publish Sundays. I remember when the folks in Composing got the word on that, they said, "That's it. We're through. Watch." I thought they were wrong, but they weren't. (If the surviving paper today is serious about saving jobs and money, $ave thou$ands NOW by ditching the Saturday edition! Who reads a Saturday newspaper anymore? Honestly.)

  But Rocky--- My best goes out to all of you today. Even at the old buildings, The Post staff would read the Rocky and carry it around every day. Our family has been in the newspaper industry for two generations. I'm sorry the next will not enjoy Denver's finest paper.

  (And BTW-- Littwin, you're alright.)

  Salute---

• February 26, 2009

  3:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gerryf writes:

  Hey NCMike, what do you do for a living? whatever it is, I hope that business goes under too....does that sound like a nice thing to say?

• February 26, 2009

  3:30 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  expats writes:

  I will miss the Rocky! And, I'll miss the spirited convesations here on this blog. A sad day for Colorado.

• February 26, 2009

  3:31 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  NuggetsFan2000 writes:

  This stinks. I hate the formate of the Post. I need the Rocky's sports page. I hope that the Rocky will come back soon.

  Peace

• February 26, 2009

  3:32 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Littleboyblue writes:

  A toast to the Rocky!!!!! Grew up with the Rocky, and I can recall getting a morning and evening edition at my parents' home. I especially enjoyed their high school sports coverage. My prayers and best wishes are with the staff and their families.

• February 26, 2009

  3:32 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  zb writes:

  I'm a reporter looking to chat with a Rocky subscriber who doesn't like the Post.

  Please email: zbarr@cpr.org
  or call 303 871 9191 x458

• February 26, 2009

  3:33 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Steve_In_Denver writes:

  Damn Shame....

• February 26, 2009

  3:33 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  medina88 writes:

  What a sad day to hear that one of two oldest companies in Colorado have died. Rocky Mtn News was the second oldest company in Colorado. The first one is a old grocery store called Romero's in San Luis Colorado. The oldest town in Colorado. That store was ready to close down a couple of years ago but I believe that one the family nephews took it over. It survived. Congrats Romero's!!! As for the Rocky, you will surely be missed. The employees were all great people. Gene left his mark on this great paper. Take it with you buddy. Two champions together again. As for the Post...please cancel my subscription, don't you dare throw a post paper in my driveway. You don't deserve to be there.

• February 26, 2009

  3:35 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  KenB writes:

  This is a huge loss for Colorado. I, too, prefer the tabloid format. At least the Post shrunk its broadsheet some years back.

• February 26, 2009

  3:35 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DenverBob writes:

  "Among those coming to the Post are some of the tabloid's most high-profile writers, including columnists Mike Littwin, Tina Griego and Bill Johnson and political reporter Lynn Bartels, Denver Post editor Greg Moore said in a memo.

  "We need to do this because they can help us become a stronger paper and it will help us attract and hold onto Rocky readers, who will be trying The Post again for the first time in a while," Moore said in the memo shortly after the Rocky announced it would publish its last edition tomorrow."

  No, if you were sincere about that you would bring over Mike Rosen, Tracy Ringolsby (a total no-brainer) and jettison that moron John Henderson and improve 100 percent with B.G. Brooks.

  Moore--have your new lefty brigade look into this (ALL FACTS):

  1. The American people elect a president with a total of 42 days experience as a U S Senator from the most politically corrupt state in America whose governor is ousted from office. The President's first official act is to close Gitmo and make sure terrorists civil rights are not violated.

  2. The U.S. Congress rushes to confirm an Attorney General, Eric Holder, whose law firm we later find out represents seventeen Gitmo Terrorists.

  3. The CIA Boss, Leon Penetta with absolutely no experience, has a daughter Linda we find out, that is a true radical anti-American activist who is a supporter of all the Anti-American regimes in the western hemisphere.

  4. We got the most corrupt female in America as Secretary of State; bought and paid for.

  5. We got a Tax Cheat for Treasury Secretary who files his own taxes.
  
  6. A Commerce Secretary nominee who withdrew due to corruption charges.
  
  7. A Tax cheat nominee for Chief Performance Officer who withdrew under charges.

  8. A Labor Secy nominee who withdrew under charges of
  unethical conduct.
  
  9. A Secy HHS nominee who withdrew under charges of cheating on his taxes.
  
  And that's just the first two weeks. . . but who's counting.

  America is being run by the modern-day Three Stooges ~
  Barrack, Nancy , and Harry ~ and they are still trying to define stimulus.

• February 26, 2009

  3:37 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  djh writes:

  This is not a new trend, one tied directly to on-line content - Fifty years ago, San Francisco had five major daily papers. New York City had more.

  Television news is expected to generate profits, contrary to the vision of William Paley.

  The large-scale dissemination of information is controlled by an ever-decreasing number of people - those who answer to the corporation.

  More and more, last night's sound bite is today's deeply held belief.

• February 26, 2009

  3:39 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  NCMike writes:

  gerryf sums up the left wing "philosophy" clearly: "How would you feel?" as if "feeling" is the end all, bottom line. Life presents us with a variety of "feelings." How one overcomes "feelings", masters them, and moves to a higher level of thought and action, is the mark of a functioning human adult. Never progressing beyond the helplessness of "feelings" ruling one's actions, is the mark of an immature child. Grow up. Bad things happen. Deal with them and overcome them. That is life beyond the nursery. And in reality, gerryf probably doesn't give a rat's butt, what you or I feel; his benchmark, despite all the childish whining neurotic hand-wringing, is that HE feels good and HIS self-esteem is in tact.

• February 26, 2009

  3:42 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Tunlrat writes:

  I just want my friggin' refund for my home delivery.

• February 26, 2009

  3:42 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  dgocoman writes:

  As someone who never liked the tabloid format and hated reading 10 pages, sorting through inserts, reading 10 more pages, repeat, I am still sad to see them go. A true Colorado institution goes down; good luck to the employees!

• February 26, 2009

  3:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  azzman writes:

  BYE BYE LIEbral spin machine... I can hear in the background... dum dum dum another one bites the dust.

• February 26, 2009

  3:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Faded5 writes:

  What a sad day for denver history. I used to deliver both papers, but it was the rocky that i selected. I have no desire to read the post, and i never will. I hope one day we can have a second paper in Denver again.

• February 26, 2009

  3:48 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Classof65 writes:

  150 years... The region will never be the same. Good luck to all the staffers who worked to make a consistantly great newspaper. You will all be missed.

• February 26, 2009

  3:49 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  thedoctor2001 writes:

  "People are losing their jobs..." So? Despite Obama's push to marxism, we remain a capitalist society so far. Do we continue to pay conductors in the caboose even though there's no reason anymore? I hope these people learned another skill that people are willing to pay for.

• February 26, 2009

  3:49 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sheepherder writes:

  The Post's online/comments format is terrible! I'm going to miss this RMN!

• February 26, 2009

  3:49 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  tdaniels writes:

  So it goes. I'll miss it. This from my dad: The News, I once heard, isn't just Colorado's first and oldest newspaper, it has been the oldest business of any sort in operation west of the Mississippi.

  For whatever it is today (and it's not a bad paper by any stretch), let's not forget it was also the newspaper of Gene Amole. I'm just happy to see his name mentioned so much in these comments. My family still uses his stuffing recipe.

• February 26, 2009

  3:49 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  ihaveaconscience writes:

  Thank you to the staff of the Rocky for all your hard work. And while I may not always have agreed with your positions, I always appreciated and enjoyed your publication - in print and online. Best to all.

• February 26, 2009

  3:54 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  davies writes:

  Konyok: I think I started by clicking on one of the balloon captions above a story, and it prompted me to register.

  NCMike: I agree with your comment. Too many liberals 'feel good' by demanding that GOVERNMENT solve all the problems of the world. But in reality it's just their way of rationalizing while doing nothing THEMSELVES to help anyone else.

  "I'm a liberal, so I'm a good person!" Say it. It feels good, and requires no individual effort or contribution.

• February 26, 2009

  3:54 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  farsidefan writes:

  I wish they would hire Drew Litton :(
  We don't have enough humor in our lives the way it is.

• February 26, 2009

  3:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  INC writes:

  sheepherder,
  you too... over at the post I am Froward... formally Froward69 here... remember that. Once I realized The Zealots here at RMN had blocked Froward69 from appearing on anyone's computer other than the one I posted upon. I changed to INC.

  man I hate this. so long all you ditto-heads.
  I hope I either educated you, shored up your resolve or made you think critically. Instead of just parroting Rushy limpballs.
  I do know for some of you, I helped you modify your opinion.
  for others Nothing will dissolve your paranoia as to what is left wing propaganda. (anything other than the word of your leader rushy limpballs is of course, Leftist) I Know, I know he is YOUR Kool-Aid...

• February 26, 2009

  3:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  BcdErick writes:

  That final quote touched me: "I could say stupid things like 'I know how you feel.' I don't," Boehne said. "We are just deeply sorry. I hope you will accept that."

  That's the voice of a good man. Best wishes.

• February 26, 2009

  3:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  concernedquilter writes:

  May each of the employees of the News find a place in this economy - The News helped put so many kids through school while working in Rocky Preps - we are going to certainly see less high school sports now and journalism will be definately taking a downward spiral spin. We need to remember all these employees in our thoughts tonight. Denver and Colorado will never be the same. Every morning will be so different and emply without the News. We will never subscribe to the Post. Singleton is going to bankrupt the Post and any other paper he gets his hands on. It is just too bad the News could not have hung on longer - Scripps really did a poor job of notifying its employees. Many of them did not know before it was on the web and TV.

  Rest in Peace - Rocky Mountain News. You will always be remembered.

• February 26, 2009

  4 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Hungarianskier writes:

  RMN: is Colorado. I love this paper, don't go!
  The real people of Colorado don't want you to go.
  I remember when you sold your paper in the intersections in
  surrounding areas of Denver. That makes you number one in my book! I wish, that I could have hit the power ball lottery to help you out!

  Sad to see you go!

• February 26, 2009

  4 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  endofwhatsexpected writes:

  Whatever the self righteous, degenerate bloggers say you were of value in a community over-whelmed by incendiary media sources. I Hope the best for all of the staff.

  Cheers, Slainte and Salou Rocky.
  endofwhatsexpected

• February 26, 2009

  4 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Kevin Flynn writes:

  May the ghosts of William Byers, William Loveland, Tom Patterson, Damon Runyon, Bob Chase, Molly Mayfield, Jack Foster, Jack Howard, Pocky Marranzino, Sam Lusky, Chet Nelson, Al Nakkula, Gene Amole, John Coit, Greg Lopez and all the other great journalists who made this the scrappy tough little city paper it's always been haunt the halls of Scripps Tower in Cincinnati for their failure to find the new business model that would have kept this Denver institution alive.

• February 26, 2009

  4 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  squeakywheel writes:

  Adios Tard Town Message Board.

• February 26, 2009

  4:05 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  FCZ writes:

  Where ever you go.

  Try to be fair and balanced.

  Your customers are liberal and conservative.

  Ignoring or dishing half will cause that half to leave.

  Maybe not immediately, but they will just fade away.

  .

• February 26, 2009

  4:07 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  1999 writes:

  It's a dark day in the history of Denver to see the Rocky Mountain News shutdown. My heart goes out to the employees that will be let go in these tough times.

• February 26, 2009

  4:10 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  buffsblg writes:

  Once more, can any of you who claim this was due to some perceived "liberal" bias, tell me why the paper with the more "liberal" editorial stance is the one that survived?

• February 26, 2009

  4:10 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  joggle writes:

  I was afraid this day would come sooner rather than later. I'm really sorry to see the Rocky go. I've been reading the Rocky going back to the days when Gene Amole was writing columns, always starting it off with a one-word sentence. Like him, it looks like the Rocky will die just short of their birthday. Sigh...

  Good luck to the Rocky employees.

• February 26, 2009

  4:10 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  EZBakeOven writes:

  It's a sad day for Denver and journalism.

  It has been fun joshing with y'all on this site. I agree with the others, The Post's comment section is terrible.

  So long, old friend.

• February 26, 2009

  4:10 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  treecat writes:

  "We can not be trusted to tell the truth, so we lost our customer base, and advertisers walked away."

• February 26, 2009

  4:10 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  pauly1620 writes:

  If only it could have been the Post instead of the News. You'll be missed RMN!

• February 26, 2009

  4:10 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Thornside writes:

  When I moved here 32 years ago, I was taken by the small format of the News. RMN in the morning, Post in the evening - that became a habit. Too bad . . . but it's got to be tougher on the RMN employees than any of us.

• February 26, 2009

  4:11 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Emerson22 writes:

  This is a true shame but as a newspaper executive who has been on the web side for 11 years, I can honestly tell you that this is due to a number of factors, not because the internet allows us to read news for "free." Your subscription dollars or single copy dollars pay for the existence of the paper and ink only - not the building, not the press, not the reporters who write the content, not the sales staff - advertising dollars have paid for all of this for years. Newspaper ad revenue has decreased for a litany of reasons but again, not because of the internet and its "cheaper" advertising opportunities - it's because advertising and marketing options for businesses have exploded over the last two decades. There are so many choices for advertisers to promote their businesses and sell their stuff today that their marketing budgets are being split in an unprecedented way - so newspapers have been receiving a lesser share of those budgets than in years past. And as new marketing options prove to work for advertisers, they continue to decrease their spending with the newspaper - this and enormous debt loads are why newspapers are failing - not because the internet is "free" and not because we aren't interested in reading the content!

• February 26, 2009

  4:14 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  INC writes:

  Hear here Kevin Flynn!!!

• February 26, 2009

  4:15 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  coskibum writes:

  You will missed but not forgotten... My heart goes out to all those who will lose their jobs and to all their families. This is/was a great publication and will leave a great void in Denver coverage. This is a truly sad day in Denver history!

• February 26, 2009

  4:16 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sweetater writes:

  Yeah Sheephearder me too After hearing or reading Davies say he got three thumbs down I thought cool ,that's where Simon Crowell, Randy Jackson And Paula Abduhl do with their off time, I tried to log in and now Sweet Potato is traveling lost through Cyberspace !!! Asked my personal email and I have had the same name for 30 of my 48 and they said it is wrong too !!!!!
  Davies HELP
  Everyone else you see a sweet potato in cyberspace help me home please

• February 26, 2009

  4:17 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  SteveC writes:

  Too bad. I agree with others that the Post's forum is not as good as the RMN's is. I hardly ever go to their website.

• February 26, 2009

  4:19 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Konyok writes:

  Cheers, Kevin Flynn!

  I know I get a little rough with you sometimes on your RTD stories, but I respect you a lot. (You belong in that honor list, your Allen Berg / The Order stories were possibly the best work that EVER appeared on the Rocky's pages.)

  I wish you the best of luck and really hope to see your byline again real soon!

• February 26, 2009

  4:19 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Pilgrim writes:

  I'll miss the Rocky a lot. I first subscribed to it in 1973, moved away the following year, and back in 1998. I have been a subscriber ever since. The tabloid format is my favorite! The Rocky has been fair and moderate, and has done an outstanding job for Denver and Colorado. We are all the poorer for its loss.

  You right-wingers who think the Rocky and Post are wild and liberal - you need to consider that when most people think media are reasonable and moderate, maybe there's nothing wrong with the media. Maybe the problem is your biased perception!

• February 26, 2009

  4:19 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  NCMike writes:

  For those who don't have the time to read all of the comments above, Rocky Mountain News readers' feelings have been severely impacted by the closure of this warm, fuzzy, friend. They are sad, devastated, disheartened, feel really bad, sorry, feel horrible, sorely bummed, saddened, broken hearted, and a few actually cried. It sounded very much like listening to an Oscar Winner's speech, except for the comments they had for those who didn't feeeeel as they did. Folks who didn't feeeeel the same were idiots, retards, slime, dumb b!t@hes, derisive shills, filled with cr@ppy thoughts, and one was the anus of humanity.

• February 26, 2009

  4:20 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mevantin writes:

  So sorry to see the paper go. Thanks for the news, and sad we will only be a one paper town from here on out.

  The only thing I am glad to see go is this message board. I have never seen such cowardly and insensitive comments that are mean for the sake of being mean, and I would be ashamed to know any of you who have made them so consistently over the past months and years. Where are you going to complain and moan now that the paper is going away?

  I just hope you get the same reception when the pink slips come your way.

• February 26, 2009

  4:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  KarlCheney writes:

  I will miss the RMN it was a great format to discuss and argue politics on the letters and other threads. Good bye to all, it was fun......

• February 26, 2009

  4:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  chickenlittle1234 writes:

  Been in a conference for most of the day, so this is my first chance to post. over the last 15 years, I've gotten to know a few of the reporters at RMN (including John Rebchook and Ann Imse) andthey have all been hard working and truly dedicated journalists. I'm sorry to see this happen. Know that you'll be missed. Good luck to all.

  sheepherder and INC - couldn't agree more about the poor layout of the Post's comment section - very difficult to follow and read. I'm chickenlittle over there, too, so hopefully we'll all reacquaint ourselves there.

  If not, a more or less fond adios to those of you who posted well thought out arguments. I'll miss some adversaries (LOUIE and rickg leap to mind) whose arguments always keep me on my toes by challenging my assumptions. Vaya con Dios.

  Good luck to all

• February 26, 2009

  4:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LOUIE writes:

  No DAVIES, the POST isn't my cup of tea. Two years ago I registered with both papers, but the POST screwed up my registration and I have no idea how, nor desire today to unscrew it as it won't allow my E-Mail address (says it's already in use, go figure LOL!~), nor my name, or password. Today I am kind of grateful for that, I wouldn't care to blog there anyway as the format isn't near as good as the ROCKY. I'll still get up at 1:30 am pump iron and watch the Asian markets as I always do, the ROCKY allowed me a space to blog while watching the world markets that's why I was always on at 1 am. I only get 2 to 3 hours sleep in any 24 hour period. No, I will find other ways to amuse myself such as tossing toliet paper in the trees of liberals! LOL!~ See ya DAVIES, I learned a lot over the time spent here in debate; many good minds came together here that's for sure. I even had to call the censors and say goodbye; those boys are a great crew and I wish the best for all the ROCKY'S employees. It's been a learning experence that was fun for sure.

• February 26, 2009

  4:25 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  JPH writes:

  I have been a loyal reader for 31 years. I wish it was the Denver Post along with it liberal bias that was closing. But hey, when are stupid enough to elect these idiots in DC then nothing surprises me anymore.

  Good bye Rocky Mountain News. We're going to miss you.

• February 26, 2009

  4:25 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LockNLoad writes:

  Crap!!!
  Now I have to blog in that sorry a$$, ultra-liberal Denver Post website.

• February 26, 2009

  4:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Rex writes:

  Sad. Good luck employees, I hope you find work.

• February 26, 2009

  4:27 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  02Z06 writes:

  Sorry about your demise... but when you produce liberal trash, you get thrown out with the liberal trash!

  Adios...

• February 26, 2009

  4:27 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jersey writes:

  DAMN! I will now have to permantly install the middle leaf of my dining room table rather than only for the holidays just to be able to open that humongous cumbersome tome! RIP Rocky you served me well!

• February 26, 2009

  4:27 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  P_Denver writes:

  'Bye, News. We'll miss ya.

• February 26, 2009

  4:28 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Horvil_Tiki writes:

  Hey guy, I sorry to see this happen to paper of the denver.

• February 26, 2009

  4:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Jazzman45 writes:

  Sorry to hear that the RMN families will now face certain difficult times during this economic downturn. I wish you much luck and hope that you will get back on your feet soon. Maybe some Conservative with deep pockets will still come to the rescue (we can only hope!!!). God Bless.

• February 26, 2009

  4:30 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  ColoradoOllie writes:

  I am deeply saddened the Rocky is closing the doors. I grew up with this paper and I'm not looking forward to a day without it.

  Best of luck to those losing their jobs, you should all be proud of the paper you produced.

  The Rocky Mountain News is part of our history. If you arent a native, I dont expect you to understand.

  The Post had better step up it's game, they have big shoes to fill.

  Goodbye Friend

• February 26, 2009

  4:30 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DaveFC writes:

  150 years is a great run by anyone's standards. Be very proud.

• February 26, 2009

  4:31 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Boltfan007 writes:

  To answer:
  sarahl writes:

  Shame on all of you who have posted negative comments here. The Rocky staffers are a hard-working bunch. You may not agree with everything that has been written in its pages, but the Rocky Mountain News is full of talented, compassionate, loving people. And they have families, just like most of you. How dare you take pride in anyone losing their job.
  God Bless the Rocky Mountain News and everyone who works there. I will always consider you my family.
  With love and a heavy heart,
  Sarah Langbein
  former Rocky writer

  _____________________________________________________

  Sorry, Sarah,
  The people on here that are glad are NOT glad to see the RMN go. They are glad to see the moronic "contributors" who have tainted the otherwise fine paper to reflect their out of touch bias and contribute to the RMN demise. Shame on THEM! I speak of Littwin and Stein in particular.
  Now I see that the DP is picking up Littwin, which means I will not subscribe to the Post and listen to his tripe any longer. To validate, I rarely agree with Tina, but she is bona fide quality writer.

  To the Post....good luck staying afloat with an anchor like Littwin around your neck....

• February 26, 2009

  4:31 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  CDee writes:

  It will be a shame to no longer have the lunch time entertainment of the blogs.
  Just don't think I can make the switch to the (com)Post.
  Good luck to all and God Bless

• February 26, 2009

  4:31 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  willie_warthog writes:

  I have read the Rocky for 41 years. I will greatly miss it. But I will not miss Bill Johnson, Tina Griego and Mike Littwin. I hope they have to leave town to find work. Good riddance!

• February 26, 2009

  4:32 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jimmy_jamjar writes:

  RMN columnists have changed the way I think. I've learned to empathize with those less well off. I even felt sorry for Rosen after hearing of his recent losses. I worry about the future of the Republic when meaningful forums like newspapers fade away. We need more than sound bites. Best of luck to all on the staff. You have made a difference in this world.

• February 26, 2009

  4:35 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Pilgrim writes:

  If you read any newspaper and agree with everything written in it, you should be concerned.

  It's columnists like Littwin, Griego and Johnson who challenge your thoughts that you NEED to read.

• February 26, 2009

  4:36 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Roymance writes:

  Good bye old friend. You will be missed. Please have patience with others that wish bad will on people who disagree with them. Remember, they are still children.

• February 26, 2009

  4:36 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DallasKing94 writes:

  Will miss ya Rocky Mountian News. You were the first paper I picked up when I was a kid. Thanks for being the best paper there is.

• February 26, 2009

  4:37 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  rbeta writes:

  To all the Rocky reporters who have spent their career as dedicated newsmen and newswomen, to their pursuit of freedom of speech and a transparent society: We, as Coloradans, have benefited from your work, the public forum that we all had a stake and a voice in, the statewide community the Rocky created, and your professionalism. It is a sad end to a profound era. Thank you for everything.

• February 26, 2009

  4:37 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  fellowpen writes:

  Good bye to you, my dear friend. I will miss starting my day with you. I'm a 51 year old, third generation Colorado native. You have been a part of my life as long as I can remember, I've always read the Rocky. My brother had a Rocky Mountain News paper route when we were kids. My sister and I would help him deliver the paper in the summer. The closing of the Rocky Mountain News leaves a tremendous void in many lives. This is a very sad day.

• February 26, 2009

  4:37 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  quikshot writes:

  Losing the News hurts. Blogs and On-line news cannot replace the feel of the paper, the look of the print, the immediate sense of relevant news stories, and knowing that the information was as accurate as possible. A sad day for the Denver region, that's for sure.

• February 26, 2009

  4:39 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  bchiper writes:

  This is just sad, I have a personal connection with the News as I delivered it for four years as a teenager in the early 70's. My first job so to speak. I've always enjoyed it over the Post. This is just sad............ :o(

• February 26, 2009

  4:39 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  WestminsterJ writes:

  >That's unfortunate, and on Obama/Pelosi/Reid's watch...

  Yeah, that's right, Obama et al sunk the RMN. Do you right-wingers realize how breathtakingly stupid you are?

• February 26, 2009

  4:40 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  UNV_ME writes:

  This su¢ks. I wish the best to every last employee who joins the unemployment line. Good luck.

• February 26, 2009

  4:40 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sweetater writes:

  Louie I will miss your post also I had the same thing happen to me on the post website too !!
  To the Gene Amole fans there is a nieghborhood bar on 26th and Federal,The Micky Manor they have his recipe for the sauce in the old Rockybilt burgers and make them, they are called firehouse sliders there being the rockybilt name was pattened Drop in and pick up a few!!!!
  I hate the format of the POst also, came in handy for potty training with the designer pup, and when wrapping dishes when I move though
  B300 I was shocked to read your post on the job you had I have always pictured you a late 20 to 30's type !!!

• February 26, 2009

  4:41 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  cuwho writes:

  Man, lead singer of Barenaked Ladies quits, and now this... Too many memories to mention here, but I wish the best of luck to the employees and their families - I dont envy trying to find a new job in this economy. Later days, RMN.

• February 26, 2009

  4:42 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  wow writes:

  My grandpa taught me to read using the RMN headlines 34 years ago, and through all these years, I have never met anyone who preferred the Post. Not a one. The wrong paper has died, and it is such a shame.
  Print news in this country has a very limited life expectancy now, but I'd have loved to see our best Colorado paper hold on longer, to be one of the last to go.
  You will be missed. Even those of you I couldn't tolerate helped shape me into who I am as I read your columns.
  Farewell.

• February 26, 2009

  4:42 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  StillUndecided writes:

  Based on what I am reading here, we should be seeing a bunch of conservative newspapers flooding the Denver market any day now. The Rocky went under solely due to the left-wing-commie-liberals on the staff so a right-wing conservative paper will undoubtedly rake in tons of money...especially when its only competition is the even more liberal DP.

• February 26, 2009

  4:42 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  robc50 writes:

  Why is everyone "sad" for they employees??? They made the product what it was... sub-par at best and downright silly with the "reporting" they provided. If they thought otherwise, they should have worked to change it.

• February 26, 2009

  4:44 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  280Pagoda writes:

  Forty-four years ago I had a newspaper route with the RMN. Love the early morning delivery, and the smaller paper - it sailed so well you could fly it like a frisbee onto a porch hidden trees and bushes.

  Parkhill Harvey was the circulation manager then. He came over to the house one time and planted a tree from seeds at my parents house; that tree is thirty feet tall today, even though he has been gone for decades.

  Just like that seed that grew into a mature and tall tree, so may of what RMN did for the community has grown deep roots, and will live on long after the newspaper.

  Very sorry you didn't live to make it to 150 - or 250.

  We are all the poorer for your departure.

  May each and every RNM employee know how much you have meant to hundreds of thousands of Colorado residents every single day for nearly a century and a half. That is a real legacy. The times are changing, and I am sorry this has brought unwanted change into your lives. It is unwanted for us too. Please prosper and find even better jobs than you had here.

  God Speed.

• February 26, 2009

  4:44 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LeLo writes:

  robc50 ...

  we are sad for the employees because we have a heart, or at least that would be my guess.

• February 26, 2009

  4:45 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  zuropa_man writes:

  willie_warthog wrote:
  But I will not miss Bill Johnson, Tina Griego and Mike Littwin. I hope they have to leave town to find work. Good riddance!

  AMEN TO THAT!!! Good bye leftist race baiters

• February 26, 2009

  4:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jdhogg writes:

  Aaargh!.... It's like coming home to find that an old friend that you knew wasn't doing well is gone. You'll be missed, RMN.

• February 26, 2009

  4:48 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  robc50 writes:

  I have no sadness for those who did anything but report the news. That is their job, they failed and are out of work for it. It's business, had they been successful, this wouldn't have happened. Had they journalistic integrity, this would not happen. People who are not good at what they do for a living typically find themselves out of work.

• February 26, 2009

  4:50 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  chickenlittle1234 writes:

  robc50 - May a giant karma wheel squash you like the bug you are.

• February 26, 2009

  4:50 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  EP writes:

  Haha, chumps, Littwin's going to the Post anyway. So is Griego. I hope they continue to bother all you people who don't like them.

• February 26, 2009

  4:53 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  guerciofan23 writes:

  A sad day. My best to the staff and wish you the best in the future. I'll miss Mark Brown and his valuable reporting on topics of entertainment. God Bless.

• February 26, 2009

  4:53 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LeLo writes:

  emerson22 speaks truth. as a newspaper executive with over 25 years in the industry, i can say confidently the reasons newspapers are struggling are many and complicated. they are not struggling, despite what neocons want to believe, because of any liberal bias. it is all about advertising dollars, and advertisers could care less about political pursuasion. they only care about audience delivery, and they have far more options for said delivery than ever before. their budgets, as a result, are split in far more ways than before. newspapers always received the lion's share. not any more. and not ... sorry, my conservative friends ... because of mike littwin. your simplistic rants are not based upon knowledge or facts.

• February 26, 2009

  4:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DenverKnight writes:

  Thank you, Rocky, my old morning friend, and the long line of exceptional journalists, artists and curmudgeons who have made you so stimulating, entertaining and valuable for nigh 150 years.

• February 26, 2009

  4:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  RockyWarrior writes:

  I spent over 30 years at the News (don't EVER call it the Rocky), and I helped it grow into the state's largest newspaper. I saw the various carpetbaggers come into town (Times Mirror, Media News). They maintained the News was not a "real" newspaper, but still, we grew, one subscription at a time. We rose above the Lee Guittar's of the world (Post Publisher), and grew.

  Scripps was famous at the time for growing it's own talent from the loading docks to the top. Ed Estlow, Bill Fletcher, Tony Delmonico, and many others proved that if someone worked hard enough they, too, could someday be in upper management.

  But Scripps lost their way somewhere along the line in the late eighties, hiring people from the outside like Ken Lowe and today's Rich Boehne.

  Scripps also brought in a publisher in 1990 who, even though he once worked for the News, came in as an outsider and promptly ran every up and coming manager out of town, as well as the very well-respected Bill Fletcher. Somehow he got the ear of the higher ups in Ohio and convinced them they needed state of the art presses and a mailroom -- and he fired anyone who questioned his almighty wisdom. His solution when things didn't work the way he wanted was to fire more managers and messengers. Soon, all he heard was yes from the inept staff of VP's he hired. He convinced Scripps that it was a great idea to sell the paper for a penny a day, and watched as the few of us faithful who stuck around exceed in every way. But it was never enough and Scripps let him get away with running the paper in to the ground. But he sure looked good in his Porsche and suspenders.

  Oh yeah, as a parting gift when the JOA became fact, this same despot gave every News employee a photo of a streaking comet. We called it "Larry's Golden Parachute". He no doubt is living richly off his buyout somewhere.

  Today, it must be acceptable to show up for a meeting with employees and the press and look like you've just come in from a bender in Vegas, like Boehne did today. I feel safe to say that in past years, Boehne would have been sent home to dress more like a professional. He looked like a clown, and he disrespected every News employee past and present.

  You've done a "great" job Rich. Which paper are you going to kill next? I'm sure when you're done, Scripps will reward you, too. Maybe your own show on HGTV? Nahh. You've never gotten your hands dirty in the business. I doubt you'd want to start now.

  Best of luck to other News veterans. You deserved better. But look what the "prize" could have been -- working for Dean Singleton.

• February 26, 2009

  4:56 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LeLo writes:

  and yes, robc50, i am saying clearly and concisely that you have no knowledge or facts upon which to base your comments, but you are merely ranting.

• February 26, 2009

  5 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LOUIE writes:

  CHICKEN, we finally agree on something; ROBO50, I think you should bend over and make passionate love to a garden rake pal!

• February 26, 2009

  5:01 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jfrankparnell writes:

  A lot of talent out on the streets now. What a shame. I never thought we'd see the day when a 150 year old daily could go away like this. Times are tough. I guess all the Rocky fans are gonna have to go to the Internet and TV for their news, especially if they dislike the Post! My question is: couldn't a paper like the Rocky exist as a website only news organization? Guess not!

  Another corporate American institution down the toilet.....
  Something has GOT to give with this stupid economy!!!!

  RIP RMN! You'll be missed!

• February 26, 2009

  5:03 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LOUIE writes:

  Better yet let me do the censors one last time. I think ROBO50 eats his own love snot. Are you there Mr. Boggert?

• February 26, 2009

  5:03 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Staidpup writes:

  WHAT A LOSS!!! I love/loved the format of the RMN - so much easier to READ at the table. I've read the paper for nearly 55 years and would NEVER subscribe to the Denver Post!!! What happens to the year's subscription I paid for the RMN??? It is like losing an old, dear friend - I HATE IT!!!

• February 26, 2009

  5:04 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  robinhunter writes:

  Aren't these employees covered by the WARN Act and the company required to give them 60 days notice of layoff or closure? I hope they had a union that could negotiate a layoff package for them. I wouldn't expect Scripps to do much for them. Good luck to all the employees.

• February 26, 2009

  5:06 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LOUIE writes:

  280PAGODA, that was a great story about the seed and the tree! I enjoyed that! Thank for sharing that.

• February 26, 2009

  5:07 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jtmedina writes:

  I worked for the RMN for 16 years and NEVER worked for a more rewarding company ever!...all of the coworkers were wonderful and I will truly miss them everyday when I go to read (insidedenver.com )
  It really is a very sad day in mine and many of the Rocky Mt. News employees and customers. As with others I will not switch to the Denver Post. I never have and never will like their product. TO ALL MY DEAR FRIENDS I HAVE MISSED AND WILL MISS YOU ALL.

  JOANI MEDINA - TELECOMMUNICATIONS

• February 26, 2009

  5:08 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  NelsonCharleston writes:

  This is a sad day, as a former employee at the RMN, I must say that working there was the best job in my life. Not because of my job but because of the fabulous people who pour their heart into that paper on a daily basis.

  Singleton got his wish, who knows what he will destroy next.

• February 26, 2009

  5:08 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  davies writes:

  buffsblg writes:

  "Once more, can any of you who claim this was due to some perceived "liberal" bias, tell me why the paper with the more "liberal" editorial stance is the one that survived?"

  Jane, you ignorant s1ut! The simple fact is that we conservatives tended to congregate more at the less-liberally-biased Rocky; however we still detected an excessive liberal bias nonetheless, which we made known. This had the perverse effect of discouraging advertisers from the Rocky and towards the Post, even though the Post is even liberaller. This is because there was less conservative criticism of the Post because it is completely beyond all hope while the Rocky was still on the outer extremes of hope. And the ad agencies can't tell the difference by themselves because they all a bunch of cokeheads, so they just moved their advertising to the Post, which was not as condemned by conservatives due to its utter hopelessness.

  So I hope to catch you at the Post someday ;-)

• February 26, 2009

  5:12 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  SoSad98 writes:

  Years ago I spent the best week of my life in the great city of Denver. Every morning I read the Rocky Mountain News. Every time I heard that name or was on the website I was transported back to that time.

  I'm in Pennsylvania and so upset about what is happening. Thank you RMN and Denver for the wonderful memories...

• February 26, 2009

  5:16 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  FCZ writes:

  Rarely one cause for the death of a media outlet.

  Usually a combination of factors.

  Some factors can be controlled, some not, and other factors sometimes.

  Craig's list hurt paid ads.

  Costs of ink and paper can hurt.

  Union rules may be more painful than union wages and massive legacy benefits.

  Look at the old car companies who are existing on bailout / borrowed money...not paid sales.

  The best solution for GM would be Chapter 11 like the airlines.

  Maybe Chapter 11 should have been tried with The Rocky before closing the doors.

  One wonders why that was not done.

  Still, making 30 to 50 percent of your potential customer base mad is rarely a wise business plan.

  .

• February 26, 2009

  5:18 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Valtitude writes:

  I'm not really old, but I remember the days when the Rocky was on the front porch on the way to school each morning and the Post on the sidewalk each evening when we came home. The world has changed and moved on. Electronic news on the internet is likely to make all newspapers defunct.

  The late, great Frances Melrose, RMN theater critic, wrote about Colorado Concert Ballet, the baby ballet company that grew into Colorado Ballet. I was one of the lucky young dancers to have her blessings and encouragement to continue to dance.

  I'll miss you, dear Rocky Mountain News, and cry for your demise.

  Thank you!

• February 26, 2009

  5:19 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  JYP3500 writes:

  I say "good riddance" to the RMN. Over the years I tried both Denver newspapers and ended up canceling them. They just made me angry with the liberal bias. I took the Wallstreet Journal a few years ago and couldn't be happier. When are the goofy liberals going to realize that liberal bias does not sell. Hopefully the Denver Post will also close down very soon. Go Fox News! You should start a newspaper in Denver.

• February 26, 2009

  5:21 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Broncos1 writes:

  Sorry to see you go. Now I won't have a paper to read in the morning. Going to miss that. I won't subscribe to the Denver Post, that liberal rag they call news. This is a sad day for Colorado. Just like the day the Democrats took control.

• February 26, 2009

  5:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  buffsblg writes:

  see you there davies :)

• February 26, 2009

  5:28 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  OneFly writes:

  I feel for those behind the scenes who have lost their jobs in these times but other than that the Rocky deserves it.

  http://oakcreekforum.blogspot.com/200...

• February 26, 2009

  5:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  chickenlittle1234 writes:

  Ah heck , LOUIE, you and I probably agree on a lot. I hope we get a chance to meet someday and trade business stories. You are one of the few people who, like me, actually watch Bloomberg in the middle of the night, though I only do it when I wake up with my brain going a million miles per hour. Take care.

  And JYP3500 - may the same giant karma wheel squash you, too.

• February 26, 2009

  5:31 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  YellowCatRedCat writes:

  This is really sad news. Thanks for a great 150 years, RMN; we'll miss you.

• February 26, 2009

  5:32 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  froude writes:

  My first job was as a paperboy in 1959 in Louviers Co for the News I remember they came out with a special Centennial Edition of the paper that year to celebrate the papers 100th year. (it was huge) Anyone remember that? Adios Rocky Mountain News you'll be missed.

• February 26, 2009

  5:32 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Who_Me writes:

  Oh poor little Rocky Warrior and his demented vision of the News. You died when the JOA was signed, the past years have been nothing more than life support, and you're lucky now that blogging is more prevalent (to garner whatever sympathy you can) because nine years ago, no one would have been around to hear you snivel about your demise.

• February 26, 2009

  5:34 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  H20 writes:

  Sad to see you go! Grew up reading the RMN. Piece of Colorado will be missed. I don't live in Colorado anymore but visted RMN online daily....

• February 26, 2009

  5:37 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  ManginoTorreta writes:

  In the past year, we've lost two Denver institutions--Mr. Jack A. Weil and now the Rocky Mountain News. Both helped define Denver for generations, and the community is going to be poorer for losing them. Even so, in the end the News started to reflect the Post by focusing less on local news--the inner workings of City Hall and the state legislature--in favor of pasting national stories from the AP. They truly shined when featuring stories with a local flavor--the nature of the state's water use during the 2001-2002 drought, the story of the bus that was hit at the railroad crossing, and Tina Griego's series on "Border Street," (even when I frequently questioned her interpretations) for example. That's is what I will miss the most, since the Post just can't seem to be bothered to produce that kind of work.

  If newspapers want to be truly great in this city again, they need to start focusing more on the inner workings of Denver, the metro area communities, and the state legislature, and start putting national headlines into the background. Local reporting, not left-wing or right-wing bias, is what will make it a valuable community asset. Westword, for all the good articles they have produced over the years, can't fill this because they are too focused on creating cutesy headlines and snark-filled text to make them anything more than a niche paper for hipper-than-thou college students.

  RIP Rocky--you grew up with us, the city of Denver and the state of Colorado, and that's what makes saying goodbye so difficult.

• February 26, 2009

  5:37 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  denverrma writes:

  To all the people posting nasty comments about the RMN, its great staff, writers and history..... I HOPE YOUR BUSINESS GOES UNDER!

  Thanks for the GREAT years RMN!

• February 26, 2009

  5:39 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Konyok writes:

  I stand corrected, RockyWarrior.

  We always used to call her "The News," but after so many uncomprehending flatlanders came it, it became easier just to say that other ...

• February 26, 2009

  5:40 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  phxguy writes:

  If one of two newspapers have to fold, I'm glad the Denver Post is still up and running and that it's the Rocky Mountain News that's closing. The Editorial Board of the Rocky Mountain News are biased partisan conservatives out of touch with Colorado and the rest of the country. I hope the racist New York Post joins the Rocky Mountain News.

• February 26, 2009

  5:42 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  snarkyron writes:

  Great obit. Awful paper. Boo-hoo! Maybe the NY "Slimes" and Washington "ComPost" will be next. What a great follow-up that would be!

• February 26, 2009

  5:45 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Buckwheat writes:

  Thanks RMN..For making my day that much more interesting.
  Good luck to those who made it possible.

• February 26, 2009

  5:48 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  republinaziorcommucratNOT writes:

  When I arrived here in '72 straight out of the USAF, you were the first paper I picked up and for the most part never stopped reading you. I'll miss most of you and wish you the best.

• February 26, 2009

  5:50 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  the_ripper writes:

  Littwin got a job at the post. What a suprise.

• February 26, 2009

  5:52 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Hstowell writes:

  I'd have rather seen the Post go down. The News was a much better paper. Sorry to see you go. Now we're left with a left wing rag. I won't be reading any local paper.

• February 26, 2009

  5:53 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  bph writes:

  There are a lot of hateful aholes posting their love of this papers demise. Just wait until it is your career on the block. Disagreement with writers on this paper is one thing but wishing them out of job is out of line.

• February 26, 2009

  5:53 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  cheesegirl writes:

  I'm sad that a big piece of Denver & Colorado is gone. Goodbye News. I will miss you. I too grew up with you and when I was little I would eagerly wait for my dad to pluck out the Mini Page for my sister and I. Our dad is gone now, but he passed on his love for this paper to us. He read it every morning cover to cover while he drank his coffee and listened to KOA. His fridge was covered in articles and LOTS of Win Lose & Drew. I absolutely abhor the Post. I will never subscribe to it.

  hugs
  Miss Cheese

• February 26, 2009

  5:54 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  farsidefan writes:

  Sweetater,
  Thanks for the tip on the recipe at the Mickey Manor.
  My dad took me there as a kid. Afterwards, we would go watch the Bears play.
  see ya at the Post

• February 26, 2009

  5:54 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  wow writes:

  INC writes:

  sheepherder,
  you too... over at the post I am Froward... formally Froward69 here... remember that. Once I realized The Zealots here at RMN had blocked Froward69 from appearing on anyone's computer other than the one I posted upon. I changed to INC.

  Ha!!!
  I knew it!!!
  LOLOLOLOL!!!
  I think you weren't blocked though. They read you, but ignored you, maybe.
  See you at the post, after I cool off about the RMN being gone. I'm WickedOldWitch over there....everywhere, really....
  I will miss Heidi, and GWM, and Cowboy, MyTwo, and Old Grouch and Scott...so many of you! Did Zogg ever get reincarnated? Miss that chaos. But not Jiminy cricket, or that weaklink NCB! Or Anderson. They can smooch my perfect hiney.
  Sweetater, are you heading over there too?
  I feel like Dorothy getting thrown out of OZ for being drunk and disorderly....:( This stinks!

• February 26, 2009

  5:57 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  phxguy writes:

  bph, I wish the Fox News Channel suffers a similar demise.

• February 26, 2009

  5:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Kbzolla writes:

  The Denver post should by them! Then they would have 2 papers and 2 times as many custemers

• February 26, 2009

  6:02 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  bluecollarbytes writes:

  bxwatso, I agree. The RMN shutting down isn't going to save the Denver Post in the long run.

  Both papers became largely irrelevant re: national and world news, syndicated columnists, etc. since internet advertising continues to siphon up the bucks {in a time of decreasing advertising expenditures}. But local news reporting is taking a bad hit.

  The News Business IS a business. Even as news moves to the internet, it is still struggling to maintain profitability.

• February 26, 2009

  6:05 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Broncos1 writes:

  phxguy, I rather it was MSNBC thats suffers a similar demise. We wouldn't have to listen to Keith Obermann anymore. What an idiot.

• February 26, 2009

  6:09 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Broncos1 writes:

  phxguy, I'd rather see the same demise of MSNBC. Then we wouldn't have to put up with Keith Obermann. What an idiot!

• February 26, 2009

  6:11 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  law1 writes:

  I read the comics in the Rocky everyday before school for as far back as I can remember. I graduated to sports and then science articles, eventually becoming a devout political news junkie and then deciding to study journalism and political science in college. After college, I covered Congress for a little while with a small D.C. bureau until I saw the writing on the wall. My life would have been different without the rocky. I am very sorry to see one of my cherished past-times go. Our public life will be the poorer for it.

  To those who were the first to bring the world to my door step--Thank you.

• February 26, 2009

  6:12 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gafcob writes:

  THANK GOD THAT PIECE OF MURDOCK CRAP TABLOID TRASH FOX NEWS RACIST TOILET PAPER IS GONE

• February 26, 2009

  6:15 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Terrilibrary writes:

  I have read the Rocky every morning for the past 33 years - even had a subscription sent to me in college in Indiana. I've watched history repeat itself, as my three children clamor for it every morning. I have my own method of reading the paper: front page headlines, first five pages, flip to the back for the opinions and letters, skip over to Spotlight for some lighter stuff, finish the details later at night when I have more time to savor. I am so sad to no longer have the depth and variety of this paper; I can read through the Post in about 5-7 minutes. It is like the passing of a dear friend.

• February 26, 2009

  6:16 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  wow writes:

  Hey sheep!!
  What about RocyMntnSheepherder!!!
  That'll get em!

  But LilBoPeep's good too....I can almost see it.

• February 26, 2009

  6:22 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  v8powerstk writes:

  I am saddened by the demise of the RMN! As far as I am concerned the wrong paper went down. The left wing rag Post should be the one gone! RMN was not much better. When are you so called journalists going to get the fact that the folks out here are tired of your left sided opinions and stories. That is in itself the reason newspapers across the country are dying. I can go to the internet and get the facts! (JUST THE FACTS PLEASE JUST THE FACTS). By the way will Mike Keefe and Ed Stein have a duel to decide who gets the left wing wacko cartoon king??

• February 26, 2009

  6:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jcgimp writes:

  Grew up on the RMN. I used to get the RMN & a quart of coco milk on sundays. Goodbye RMN.

• February 26, 2009

  6:24 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  pbrfan writes:

  The Rocky will be missed more each day it's gone. I feel sorry for the people of Colorado who are posting trash about the paper and its staff. You don't know what you'll be missing. It's called being informed. Let's hope the Post survives so you can have some independent news in your life. Otherwise you'll drown in your biases and lack of information.

• February 26, 2009

  6:24 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  SoCalbuff writes:

  RMN, Bummer going to miss reading you out here in San Diego, especially enjoy reading Littwich and Griego. Good luck to both of you! Hey you Bush/Cheney loving conservatives we can directly thank you and the Republican party policies over the last 8yrs for the demise of such a great institution. Hope your happy! Well, I guess you could always subscribe to the San Diego Union-Tribune I think you can probably get your conservative fix here! Its the worst. Going to miss the awesome RMN sports section as well. Good luck and best wishes from a great Southern California fan of the RMN.

• February 26, 2009

  6:25 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gafcob writes:

  GOOD RIDENS...AND TAKE GUNNY BOB WITH YA.THE GUNNY MAN IS SEEING HIS RADICAL SO CALLED "PATRIOT" RIGHTIES GOING BY THE WAYSIDE. HIS STATEMENT WAS THIS IS NOT PATRIOTIC WHAT AN IDIOT

• February 26, 2009

  6:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gafcob writes:

  I WISH IT WAS FRIDAY RIGHT NOW...JUST END IT AND DONT BOTHER PRINTING ANYTHING FRIDAY...GO HOME

• February 26, 2009

  6:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sw writes:

  I deliver the newspaper every morning along with many other hard working people who DEPEND on the income. So, thanks to all of you on here who are celebrating. REAL NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• February 26, 2009

  6:34 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  republinaziorcommucratNOT writes:

  Right wing Hate monger Vinnie Carroll got hired as well. No subscription for the Post.
  At least they haven't hired Rosen yet.

• February 26, 2009

  6:38 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  peterpi writes:

  I have truly enjoyed the RMN over the years, at least 40 of them. I've enjoyed posting here as well.
  Hmmm, just clicked on a "Favorites" link to the Post's "opinion" section, and the first thing that that happened was that the Post was telling News readers "You now get us!" The buzzards are circling even before the carcass is cold.
  For any regulars still posting here, where does one register at the Post? And what section are you registering with? The letters section doesn't seem to require it. If I can, I'll still be peterpi over there. If not, the new handle will have "pi" in it. As in circumference divided by diameter, plus "peg", my initials..
  For all you "con" artists gloating over the death of the News, the only "facts" you want to see are those you agree with. Conservative papers are dying as well.
  I agree with whoever said it'll be easier to manipulate electronic bytes than hard-printed newspaper.
  I'm liberal, but I routinely read Geroge Will, Mike Rosen, and Vince Carroll. They make me think. Heck, Vince Carroll and I have exchanged e-mails with each other disagreeing vehemently with each other. That's what debate is about. Not being a dittohead. Reading only those you agree with allows no room for growth.
  So Littwin, Griego, and other continue on, tormenting you all for another day.

• February 26, 2009

  6:38 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  johnhargissr writes:

  Did you consider an employee buyout?

• February 26, 2009

  6:40 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gafcob writes:

  WHEN I DROVE BY THE NEWS,,SAW IT THE FOR LEASE....I SAID...THANK GOD....GOOD RIDENS TAKE A HIKE.. GO HOME ...WHAT A WASTE..WHY DID THEY EVEN BUILD THAT BUILDING...THEY MUST HAVE KNOWN THAT WHEN GUNNY BOBS DADDY BUSH WAS GONE SO WAS THE RMN...AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED THE BUILDING COULD CRUMBL TO THE GROUND AND I WOULD NOT CARE...

• February 26, 2009

  6:44 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gafcob writes:

  I FORGOT ABOUR ROSEN...FIRST HE LOST ALL HIS MONEY BEING A IDIOT...NO REGULATION FOR ME (ROSEN)..NOW HE CANT PRINT HIS TRASH IN THE RMN...GOOD FOR YOU ROSEN...HE MOVES HIS WORDS LIKE A TYPE WRITER ...NO MORE...HA HA HA HA HA

• February 26, 2009

  6:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  rowdy1 writes:

  RIP RMN. You will be missed but never forgotten *tears*

• February 26, 2009

  6:48 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  vimbo writes:

  God, someone above mentioned John Coit. I'd completely forgotten one of the finest columnists this country has ever produced. A master who died so young. The one good thing that's come of this sad affair is that Paul Campos will now have to content himself with indoctrinating law students and fantasizing about getting even with Ann Coulter, who so rudely snubbed the little geek in college.

• February 26, 2009

  6:48 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Andy writes:

  Couldn't you have at least tried online subscriptions before going out of business?

  I'd pay for it. Am I the only one?

• February 26, 2009

  6:49 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Sundog writes:

  ...and that's 30.

• February 26, 2009

  6:50 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  rowdy1 writes:

  RIP RMN. You will be missed *tears*

• February 26, 2009

  6:50 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  MileHighMagic writes:

  NA NA NA NA
  NA NA NA NA
  Hey Hey Hey
  Goodbye

  R.I.P. Rocky Mountain News you will be deeply missed

• February 26, 2009

  6:51 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Sundog writes:

  ...and that's -30-.

• February 26, 2009

  6:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  khorst writes:

  I'm very sad. I have many fond memories of working on the sports desk as an agate clerk while in college. Heck, I delivered the RMN as a teen because I could still do sports in school because it was the morning paper. From experience the RMN is and will always be the better paper. You will be missed!

• February 26, 2009

  6:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  MileHighMagic writes:

  NA NA NA NA
  NA NA NA NA
  Hey Hey Hey
  Goodbye

  Thank you for a great 150 years Rocky Mountain News!!! You will be deeply missed!!

• February 26, 2009

  6:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Steve_In_Denver writes:

  Please tell me you're continuing with an online paper at least??? The Post swallows....

• February 26, 2009

  6:56 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Dolphins13 writes:

  I have read the RMN since I can remember. I will truly miss the paper and all of its writers. My best friend works for the RMN and is the most sincere and intelligent individual I know. This will impact all of the staff and their families and everyone should feel privileged that they were able to experience their expertise. I will truly miss the RMN and look forward to what is next for my best friend and all of the writers.

  I will quote one of our favorite movies, “MY BROTHER ALWAYS SAID THAT DROWNING IN BEER WOULD BE LIKE HEAVEN. WELL, MY BROTHER'S NOT HERE AND I GOT 2 SOAKERS.....THIS ISN'T HEAVEN THIS S_CKS.

  My thoughts and prayers are with all of the employees and their families. May God bless all of you.

• February 26, 2009

  6:57 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Steve_In_Denver writes:

  Please tell me you're continuing with an online paper at least??? The Post is terrible....

• February 26, 2009

  7:02 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  greenleaf writes:

  Well, goodbye RMN posters and hello Post bloggers! I suspect we will see many of you over there. Blogging is a hard habit to give up after all. I hope a lot of you conservatives come over for the sake of the conversation. Its no fun for liberals to preach to the choir and to pat each other on our virtual backs. I will miss the RMN format. All of us need to lobby the Post to make a few common sense changes.

  Good luck to all of you that made the Rocky Mountain News the better of our two dailies. After 50 years of reading your efforts on a daily basis it will be hard to let you go.

  Kevin Flynn writes:

  May the ghosts of William Byers, William Loveland, Tom Patterson, Damon Runyon, Bob Chase, Molly Mayfield, Jack Foster, Jack Howard, Pocky Marranzino, Sam Lusky, Chet Nelson, Al Nakkula, Gene Amole, John Coit, Greg Lopez and all the other great journalists who made this the scrappy tough little city paper it's always been haunt the halls of Scripps Tower in Cincinnati for their failure to find the new business model that would have kept this Denver institution alive.

  Amen and goodbye friends past and friends present, you made a difference in our lives and those of 7 generations of Denverites.

• February 26, 2009

  7:03 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DragonInTheSky writes:

  HisPrinceMichael writes:

  "May The True and Living God, bless the ENTIRE RNM staff
  and their respective families."

  DO you really believe some little man in the sky is up there "blessing the ENTIRE RMN staff"? Give me a break knucklehead.
  What a goof you are.

• February 26, 2009

  7:05 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  StillUndecided writes:

  Hey gafcob,
  You mom just called and said that it was time to get off the computer and get ready for bed...

• February 26, 2009

  7:06 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  OrangUtan writes:

  How sad. RMN's 150 years of existence shall be well engraved in Colorado's archives.

• February 26, 2009

  7:06 p.m.

  gafcob writes:

  (This comment was removed by the site staff.)

• February 26, 2009

  7:11 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  nmetro writes:

  A voice has gone silent. The silence echoes across the Rocky Mountains. We mourn a reliable friend who visited us each morning with the serious, as well as the humorous. Sometimes we agreed with our friend; sometimes we didn’t. Sometimes we laughed at our fired; sometimes we yelled. Our friend saw us through good times; and saw us through bad times. But, it was our constant morning partner to begin our day and we knew that our friend will always be there. Not even the worse storms or blizzard would stop our friend. But now, our friend, who was around for nearly 150 years, has passed away. Leaving a legacy of Pulitzer Prizes, top reporting, professionalism and the love of the Rocky Mountain West in their wake.

  Goodbye Rocky Mountain News; 149 years, 10 months, 4 days young; may you rest in peace.

• February 26, 2009

  7:12 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gafcob writes:

  HEY STILL UNDECIDED, YOUR MOM IS IN BED WITH ME..SHE SAID I COULD STAY UP ..

• February 26, 2009

  7:15 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  anya writes:

  Thank you, Rocky Mountain News and employees for all that you have done. The competition with the Post was always interesting.

  I will miss you.

• February 26, 2009

  7:20 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mytwosense writes:

  wow writes: "My grandpa taught me to read using the RMN headlines 34 years ago"

  Why did you have to write that? Now I've got tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat!

• February 26, 2009

  7:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  dc7 writes:

  The RNM has been a blood stained newspaper from the beginning when it called for genocide against the indigenous people of Colorado over 30 times. About 130 years latter then it should have been shut down, but I for one am glad to see your lie filled paper go. Vincent Carroll carried the racist rhetoric of Williams Byers so well, so sad to see him out of work.

• February 26, 2009

  7:25 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  cfk writes:

  As a child while living in Denver, my folks always got the Post, but, after moving away from Denver, 40 years ago, I have had the RMN as one of my tabs and read it often. Will miss the old gal....

• February 26, 2009

  7:28 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  NCMike writes:

  Dragon in the Sky, do YOU really believe that just dumb luck magically morphed a CHO molecule into something that magically evolved into you?? If so, I would imagine that just dumb luck, is causing the reflexive emotional gibberish that's coming from your keyboard. Having been created in the image of God and given free will and an intellect, makes a helluva lot more sense than your magical primordial soup fiction... Just dumb luck can't even get your Mickey D order right, let alone produce a walking, talking, thinking, human being. Guess who looks like a goof?

• February 26, 2009

  7:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Thanrahan writes:

  I was deeply saddened to hear that the Rocky Mountain News was going to close. I have been reading the RMN since 1956. My mother sold the RMN in her store the "Chocolate Shop" in Cedaredge Co. and I looked foward to reading it every day. I especially liked the Drew Litton cartoons. When we move to St. George, Utah I even had our subscribution sent there. I Hope that someone will come to your aid and start this grand old paper up again. Just wanted to let you know I will miss you guys. Thank you for all the years you have given us.
  Good luck to all of you, Tom Hanrahan

• February 26, 2009

  7:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  headsup5 writes:

  Ever sense I can remember my mom has always started her day with coffee and the RMN. She is 74, has lost the only husband she ever had, a few siblings, her little dog and now the RMN. Tomorrow I'm calling in sick, going to her house make a pot of coffee and I'm going to set down with her and enjoy the RMN one last time. Very Very sad time for Denver, Colorado.

• February 26, 2009

  7:30 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DUScooter writes:

  As a former journalist, this is a sad day. E.W. Scripps has done Denver wrong!

• February 26, 2009

  7:32 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Kevin Flynn writes:

  Konyok writes: "Cheers, Kevin Flynn! I know I get a little rough with you sometimes on your RTD stories, but I respect you a lot. (You belong in that honor list, your Allen Berg / The Order stories were possibly the best work that EVER appeared on the Rocky's pages.) I wish you the best of luck and really hope to see your byline again real soon!"

  Thanks. Since you remember the Alan Berg case, you'll recall I write a book on it with colleague Gary Gerhardt, who took the buyout two years ago and retired. Just to let everyone know, Gary -- a great writer on the wildlife beat for years and who worked here nearly 40 years -- is undergoing treatment for cancer with a good prognosis for recovery. Keep him in your prayers please.

• February 26, 2009

  7:37 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  SDcat writes:

  As a fellow newspaper reader, I'm utterly shocked at the vile comments supporting the dissolution of a Colorado institution and the loss of hundreds of jobs in this economy. It's insane!
  How can you be in favor of a fair publication closing? Isn't a newspaper about REPORTING and not solely opinion? I guess for you right wing Rocky haters, you'll only be happy when every media outlet is owned by NewsCorp, and espouses O'Really?!'s and Rush LimBlow's brain idling chattering points. If you think the failure of many media outlets is a good thing, you'd better think again.

• February 26, 2009

  7:38 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  zentiger1 writes:

  I've read the Rocky since I was a kid. I am stunned and saddened at this unfortunate turn of events. My thoughts go out to the employees and staffers of the RMN. It's a sad day for Denver. Thank you, Rocky Mountain News, for being the journal and compendium of every event of my life. We will miss you very, very much.

• February 26, 2009

  7:45 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  zentiger1 writes:

  I am saddened by the loss of the Rocky. I have read the RMN ever since I was a little kid. Thank you for being the journal of record for every major event in my life. My thoughts and prayers go out to the staffers who have lost their jobs. I'm sure Gene Amole is looking down from the sky with a tear in his eye.

  Thank you, Rocky Mountain News, for being such a great paper. You will be sorely missed. It's a sad day for Denver, and for Colorado.

• February 26, 2009

  7:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gafcob writes:

  HEY SDCAT
  THEY BROUGHT IT ON THEMSELVES..THEY CAN ALL GO TO HELL AS FAR AS i AM CONCERNED

• February 26, 2009

  7:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DragonInTheSky writes:

  NCMike..Now now, take it easy. God doesn't like mean little christians like you! You better say your prayers and ask for forgiveness else you will burn in a raging pit of fire forever.

  "do YOU really believe that just dumb luck magically morphed a CHO molecule into something that magically evolved into you??"

  Did I ever say that Mikey? No, I don't think so! I as well believe a little man in the sky created heaven and earth and everything else all in seven days, because that seems more logical, right?
  Oh, and remember, those things called "fossils", are just the devil's work. Everyone with half a brain knows the earth is only 2000 years old! Seriously, how could anyone believe otherwise?

• February 26, 2009

  7:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  demmud writes:

  Beyond Belief.... I just got a phone message... I am stunned. Sad is not a big enough word. Heart broken.

  My paper. I am crying as I write this. My paper. I want my paper.

• February 26, 2009

  7:48 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  StillUndecided writes:

  Hey gafcob,
  Ask her if she would help you turn off the caps lock.

• February 26, 2009

  7:53 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  dblj writes:

  I grew up on the RMN and have never liked the Post.

  Ironic that I sit here and look at my renewal which expires 2/27/2009; guess it's going in the trash!

  Farewell!

• February 26, 2009

  7:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  vertex1957 writes:

  Finally, vindication! Your rag dragged my father (Dr. Gerald P. Wood) through the muck in 1974 and after it was proved false you never retracted. May your name forever remain in the toilet of history.

• February 26, 2009

  7:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gafcob writes:

  ha ha ha ha good one Still u.
  demmud....dont worry.you lost your paper...just turn on 850KOA...its the same thing..all republost talking points...or go to Hannitys web site...give him some money and he will give you the same talking points

• February 26, 2009

  8 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DragonInTheSky writes:

  dc7 writes:

  "The RNM has been a blood stained newspaper from the beginning when it called for genocide against the indigenous people of Colorado over 30 times."

  Do you have any factual evidence to back up these statements, or are you just looking to spit your venom at something?

• February 26, 2009

  8:04 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Mustangchef writes:

  With friends in major newspapers here in Michigan, I feel your pain.
  Keep writing and stay creative..its your only freedom.
  From the heart, the drifter, The Mustang Chef

• February 26, 2009

  8:10 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gafcob writes:

  Vertex 1957
  I will lift a double Jammison in your fathers name tonight Dr.Wood. I am happy to see this fish rap go away, I will purchase fridays addition so my dog can use it to relive himself on it.

• February 26, 2009

  8:14 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  block2a writes:

  Not to worry. I'm suce all the RMN's aging socialist hippies can get a job at Obama's Bureau of Misinformation.

  Too bad, so sad, bye-bye.

• February 26, 2009

  8:15 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  bulldogs09 writes:

  I live in Atlanta but, was born and raised in Wheat Ridge. I loved getting my sports news from the RMN and looked forward to every Sunday morning to get the Bronco news before the game. It saddens me to see this once great news paper fold and it's many employees out of work. What saddens me more is that this possibly and I stress possibly could have been avoided. In Atlanta we have a paper called the Atlanta Journal Constitution. To say that this paper leans left would be like saying Nancy Pelosi might be a Democrat. The paper is losing millions and refuses to change it's structure; that structure is far left. Like it or not the majority of people that read big city news papers are either conservative or independent. If this statement is not fact then somebody explain why papers all over this country are going broke or folding. Capitalism is real simple, if people like the product they will buy it. If they don't then the product will fail. For the most part people are fed up with how the news is getting reported and depending on alternative ways to get their news. Like I stated, I am sad to lose an old friend. I just wish the powers to be would have listened to it's readers, many of whom went away. Good luck to all of the RMN employees.

• February 26, 2009

  8:18 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  williamB writes:

  The Rocky has been part of my family for 45 years. I just don't know how to say good-bye. Thank you so much. I have seen everything from hot metal to ROS web ads. I have seen presidents shot and wars started. I have seen tornadoes touch down and random acts of kindness... all because the Rocky has been there to report it. Thank you

• February 26, 2009

  8:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jlyons47 writes:

  I worked for the Rocky for years in the 80's and 90's and loved my time there. However there were lots of management missteps errors and stumbles. There was never any management accountability that I could see. Some how it was always the employees fault. When the joint operating agreement was being discussed I saw the end was just a mater of time and I got out.
  I found a different industry to work in.
  My mother drilled into my head that I should always take the paper because it was our civic responsibility. The newspaper was independent and did hard hitting investigative journalism. The newspaper would keep the big corporations and goverment honest.
  The problem is they haven't been hardhitting in a long time. The content just hasn't been compelling.
  That said I will miss the Rocky

• February 26, 2009

  8:28 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Americans4Liberty writes:

  Dear RMN staff -- Thanks for doing a great job all these years!

  Good luck and God bless!!

• February 26, 2009

  8:30 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  RoyalPayne writes:

  Goodbye Rocky. You were once one of the Wests great newspapers. Times chance, you changed, you went liberal and to the far left. Sorry to say you did this to yourself.

  Good luck to all of you.

• February 26, 2009

  8:32 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gafcob writes:

  Bulldog
  The RMN (now gone) is so far right, when these right wing communists have cartoons of Monkeys being shot by white police men stateing..well it looks like someone else will have to write the new stimulus..Or Pictures of watermelons on the front lawn of the white house..or food stamps with with the presidents face on it..Then I could care less if they all go out of buisness. I hope they all go to hell. You have republicans passing out CD,s that have a song Barack the Magic Negro...The rught wing totaly discusseds me. And then you have the fat man..Dido head himself..Or Hannity. Coultier...It is discusting..and i really hope they all go to hell

• February 26, 2009

  8:35 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  AZCrunch writes:

  Boehne...if you're sleeping well over this, then I know what pact you made, and it definitely was not with anyone from up above...
  To all who continue the pile on...the Rocky was the stronger paper, yet it was the one that had the wrong ties...Scripps, who could care less if any of their print papers exist.

• February 26, 2009

  8:38 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Darwin writes:

  Sad to see the "Flag Ship of the Rocky Mountains" slip into the night. God bless all the employees and families of the RMN and good success in finding new employment.

• February 26, 2009

  8:40 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  NCMike writes:

  Dragon in the Sky, you project your own emotionalism. No need to pout. I only commented on the fact that your comments were as magical as the ones you ascribed to others. . . . and your estrogen appears to be out of control.

• February 26, 2009

  8:40 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Jeff_2009 writes:

  Like bulldogs09, I live in the Atlanta area. I'm very sad to hear of any newspaper folding (I'm a journalist by trade myself), but it sounds like the RMN was a quality operation with a good product and a very loyal following. Having worked for a Scripps-Howard company before, I'm not surprised at the poor management by the Scripps talking heads.... they are usually pretty awful at management and communication. I feel very badly for the staff and I wish them all the best. I would encourage them to continue in the journalism world if they have that passion, because smart, talented, fair, capable writers are very hard to find these days. And it sounds like Denver, like Atlanta, is now stuck with one, horribly-left-biased newspaper. I hope that all the RMN followers find some outlets for their opinions and thoughts, and I HOPE the Post will do the right thing and cover the community fairly and without bias. We may be seeing the start of a massive shift in the newspaper industry (a printed product you hold in your hands may be a thing of the past in the next 20-30 years), but there will ALWAYS be a need for intelligent journalists in this country - no matter what format they are writing for. God bless all of you who are RMN employees, subscribers and advertisers, and if you're looking to relocate, we'd love to have you in Georgia! Good luck everyone... let's hope and pray for the best.

• February 26, 2009

  8:45 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  chartguy writes:

  The issue here is that nobody buys classified ads. That revenue ran newspapers since Ben Franklin published them. Today, it's craigslist, autotrader, ebay, or whatever, but not paper. Newspapers have to find a new revenue stream.

  What gets me is that all the internet news services are using the stories from the paper reporters. AP doesn't have anybody at Dove Valley. They just report what the DP or RMN reporters report. At some point, if the internet news sites are going to actually have news, they're going to have to pay someone to collect and write it.

  As far as I know, the ONLY internet newspaper that's actually making money is The Wall Street Journal (wsj.com), and a big part of that is because of the data that they carry.

  That's probably what we'll end up having, very specialized news sites. You pay Rivals.com for news on college recruiting. I suspect that kind of specialization will continue. I'm not sure where general coverage of politics fits into that model.

• February 26, 2009

  8:48 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  cbrakken writes:

  Losing the Rocky is a huge loss for Denver. We salute the Rocky Mountain News for the passionate reporting and commitment to provoke readers to think, analyze and discuss an array of opinions and perspectives. Thank you for making a difference!Although the Rocky may be gone...it's legacy will last a lifetime.

• February 26, 2009

  8:49 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Otter writes:

  Otter checking off station....Adiós Conchetumares!

• February 26, 2009

  8:52 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  AlexZander39 writes:

  My sympathies, but the fact is that we do not need a printed newspaper every single day. In this internet era, a printed newspaper 3 times a week is more than enough. I have not subscribed to a newspaper since the 1990s. But the only newspaper I ever enjoyed reading was the RMN because of the paper's design. Much easier to read than the other style of printed newspapers.

  Will Rocky Mountain News be able to keep an online version going? Or is it getting shut down also?

  Many more newspapers around the country will be closing down also if they continue to print large(mostly useless information) papers every single day.

• February 26, 2009

  8:54 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  OregonBroncFan writes:

  Sad news and my prayers go to the effected families.

• February 26, 2009

  8:59 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  NativeCO writes:

  I don't know what to say. Except that you're in my heart and prayers.

  And thank you for the memories.

  For steering me in a direction where I used the greatest gift God gave me, which is writing, to work at five papers in two states for 10 years.
  For making it possible for me to live by the ocean as a reporter for a year.
  For helping me to go to Europe for the first time.
  For giving me a scholarship that led not just to a degree but a lifetime of people, places and experience no other career could have.
  And at my youngest ages, and at my very start, for being the favorite paper my late father and I traded sections of for years as early morning risers.

  Between you and God, how could I have been luckier.
  Your last issue is much like the death of a friend who made me better.

  Anna Maria Basquez

• February 26, 2009

  9:18 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DiamondDragon53 writes:

  The Rocky Mountain News and Denver go together like bees and honey. But no more. Good luck to you all. :]

• February 26, 2009

  9:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  MrPeabody writes:

  It's a sad day for Denver and all of Colorado. I've been reading the RMN for decades. Best of luck to all the employees and their families.

  I will certainly save for posterity tomorrow's final newspaper.

• February 26, 2009

  9:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  ReallyJustCurious writes:

  Rocky -

  I will miss you.

• February 26, 2009

  9:30 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  devotedrocky writes:

  The Rocky's last issue. I really hate to have to see it go. The post can never replace the RMN. I'm preserving this last copy to represent all 150 of it's wonderful years in service. RIP

  A loyal reader

• February 26, 2009

  9:32 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jeffdragon writes:

  RockyWarrior put it best in these comments: the demise of the News started in the late '80s, when they got a little big for their britches and started hiring some stupid people like Larry Strutton. Porsche and suspenders indeed - Larry looked good in those, but he knew zippo about running a paper. I'll never forget when he convinced the execs from Cincinatti that buying a new printing press for millions was the right idea, when the press they had was just fine, and the further disastrous decision to separate the paper into sections, like a broadsheet. Those papers in the first year or so off the new presses were literally only good for those with double vision already. They were blurry and unreadable, and yet Larry just sat there in his suspenders and said it was no big deal.
  Then, he thought selling the paper for a penny a day would be a nice money-making idea. Millions of dollars in losses later, the News had to cry uncle and agree to a JOA with Singleton. Bye bye went the Sunday edition, and in came an abominable looking Saturday broadsheet, after five days of a tabloid. Name another paper that is one thing five days a week, and another one day a week?
  John Temple never got it either. His Saturday columns were painful to read, and he was too much a part of the "prize culture" of newspapermen, whom David Simon so rightly crystalized in the last season of "The Wire." Basically, all Temple ever cared about were plaques on a wall, but he never grasped the grit and grime that makes a newspaper great - and what once made the News great.
  Finally, I laugh at all the stupid, bitter people who post on these sites. They have no clue about the real reasons why newspapers are suffering right now.
  One good thing about the News going away is we won't have to read their stupid comments on this site anymore.
  Otherwise, it's a sad story.

• February 26, 2009

  9:36 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  devotedrocky writes:

  The Rocky's is closing. As I type this final message, I raise my glass of water to your 150 years of service. I'll tell u 1 thing. The post can never take the rocky's place for me. if u are a devoted reader, please preserve this last issue in memory of the RMN. RIP

• February 26, 2009

  9:37 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Yankee writes:

  Thanks for being there all this time RMN. Thanks for the sports, the funnies and allowing the nitwit Great Moral Thinkers to have their say. God knows they need it.

  Sad to see this end but, there is a beginning in every ending.

  Confusion to our enemies.

• February 26, 2009

  9:41 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  JayBen writes:

  Our family will miss you. It's a very sad day. Best of luck to everyone affected.

• February 26, 2009

  9:44 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Yankee writes:

  Oh well - There is a beginning in every ending - no worries.

  Thanks for the sports, funnies and allowing the nitwit Great Moral Thinkers an opportunity to speak their minds. God knows they needed it.

  Farewell! And if forever, then forever farewell.

  Confusion to Our Enemies.

  PS
  Mr. P. - Please keep you anatomical parts out of this. It's a family publication.

• February 26, 2009

  9:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  katie212 writes:

  As someone who grew up in a Post family, I switched to the Rocky when my best friend started dating someone who worked there. I'm just as sorry for the loss of journalistic excellence as I am about the fact that my friends may be moving out of state to find new work because of its closure (okay, I'm more sad about my friends possibly moving in all honesty, but I'm selfish, so sue me.) To all those at the Rocky, especially Mike N.: I know you all loved your jobs, your colleagues, your location and Denver itself. We all loved you back. It won't be the same.

• February 26, 2009

  9:52 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Alask27 writes:

  I've been reading the RMN for 30 years plus, the only paper ever to subscribe to. Always loved your non-biased approach to the news (unlike virtually all tv or radio, and both sides of commentaries (eg Rosen/Littwin). A major part of Denver history way before any of us were ever born, your legacy will live on. Best wishes to all the employees and have enjoyed the blogs from the readers too. So long to a longtime friend.

• February 26, 2009

  9:57 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  LSentrik writes:

  Wow, this is awful news.

  I studied William Byers and the history of the RMN for Colorado history in elementary school. It's what got me into reading the newspaper and paying attention to the world. Opened my eyes quite a bit.

  RMN, you will be missed.

• February 26, 2009

  10:03 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  localyokal writes:

  Nothing clever to say. Good luck to all of the RMN displaced employees.

• February 26, 2009

  10:09 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  ProffBob writes:

  My first job was delivering the Rocky in 1966, and then collecting from my customers. I learned so much. I read the headlines as I folded those papers. It made me a better person, businessman and citizen. I read the Rocky every day for 42+ years and my dad before me. God Bless all who will be moving on in their careers. I will really miss your fine work. I am more conservative than most of you, but I will miss interacting with your thoughts.

• February 26, 2009

  10:11 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Konyok writes:

  I will be posting over at the other place as Lukas.

  Blessings to all of the fine people that brought us the News all these years.

• February 26, 2009

  10:12 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  MattGuyver_007 writes:

  RMN don't fold now! It's just a matter of time before Obama's stimulus plan kicks in and then we have nothing to worry about.

• February 26, 2009

  10:19 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  RockHawper writes:

  RIP RMN

  WELCOME TO BEAT STREET ~ CRANK THIS UP AS YOU WALK OUT THE DOOR !

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhkOPN...

• February 26, 2009

  10:22 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  lanceeee writes:

  too bad the best newspaper is the one closing.

• February 26, 2009

  10:34 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  danwal writes:

  I hate to see the Rocky go. I have read it for as long as I can remember and have always enjoyed the stories, the photography and Gene Amole. It is pretty sad when you have comments by people who think this is great and seem to relish in people losing their jobs.

• February 26, 2009

  10:35 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  iggypuppet writes:

  To Kevin Flynn... may God bless you and keep you well. My late step-father was someone you covered, and you were always his favorite reporter because you were always fair.

  To Tristin Amole, may God bless you as well, and thank you for all of the wonderful times your father brought me reading his columns in the Rocky.

  To John Coit and Greg Lopez, you have always been missed and will always be missed.

  To the Rocky... I feel like I have lost a friend, even though you were not always in line with my editorial beliefs. What a drag that we have lost you.

  However, even while I feel pain at the loss of the Rocky, I have to say something...

  As far as Gummy Bob (aka Bob Newman) is concerned, he blames the death of the Rocky on Mike Littwin, Tina Griego and others who he says spew hate. Give me a break.

  The only people who are constantly spewing hate around here are people like Mike Rosen, Gummy Bob, Peter (Vagina) Boyles and Rush (the OxyMoron) Limbaugh. Coincidentally, they are all employed by KOA or their corporate partners. Mr. Newman blames columnists for the death of a corporate enterprise, which is so totally ingenuous and ignorant it shows his lack of brains and integrity. It was bad management that led to the death of the Rocky, not people who wrote columns.

  You talk about hate, Mr. Newman, but your hate oozes from your pores. The people you carry the water for have screwed up this country, but because the American people have decided to go in a different direction, instead of accepting your failure, you do everything in your power to make sure it fails, even at the cost of the well-being of the American people. You hate teachers, you hate unions, you hate working people, you hate poor people, you hate gays, you hate open-minded people... you hate everyone who does not toe the line with your loser ideology.

  All I want to know is who you blew to get a job on a clear channel frequency. None of you did it on your talent, intellect or integrity.

  The ONLY good thing about the death of the Rocky is that Rosen has one less platform to spew hate from.

  Hopefully, your platform collapses soon. You do nothing to contribute to the well-being of anyone other than yourself and your lemmings.

  Losers.

• February 26, 2009

  10:37 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Dreamergirl writes:

  It saddens me to think of all the carriers that this will put hardships on and they were not told ... they had to find out like the rest of us on the evening news. Did anyone think these are stay-at-home mom's working for grocery money? How sad that no one thought of these people that work 365 days a year in the rain, snow, and on ALL holidays! I love the RMN but don't love how you didn't share this news with your carriers before you shared it with the public. I would be interested to know if you will take care of them as you are your corp. employees. If it wasn't for them you wouldn't have a paper to write ... that is who got the paper to your readers. What a sad, sad day!

• February 26, 2009

  10:38 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  judysm writes:

  Even though I moved out of state, I still read the Rocky online.
  (isn't it ironic that both present and past tense of "read" is the same?)
  It feels as if my umbilical chord to Denver has been severed.
  The best to the editorial staff and their families.
  Damn.

• February 26, 2009

  10:38 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  momo writes:

  sol... young people don't read printed newspapers, and newspapers can't figure out how to attract them online. bad econ ain't helpin' either. san fran chronicle is next. then who?
  wake up industry. oh, too late.

• February 26, 2009

  10:44 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jonnyrotten writes:

  Good luck to all the folks looking for a new job. Sorry to see you go The RMN was an icon in Denver and it will be missed. I've read the paper for 35 years. Didn't always agree, but thats what made it interesting. Hard to believe with the amount of traffic this web site generates it can't be viable with some reduced content. Never cared much for the Post and hearing about the new hires I won't be subscribing any time soon.

  Sad day for Colorado

• February 26, 2009

  10:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  DragonInTheSky writes:

  NCmike..Good job with your use of big words like "emotionalism", you get one gold star for the day! But please tell me, how do you associate "estrogen" with any of this? It seems that within your garble there is absolutely no substance or point of view whatsoever. Nice try though. I know it's not easy for asshats like you to communicate clearly, none the less say anything of relevance or meaning.

• February 26, 2009

  10:52 p.m.

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  Dreamergirl writes:

  Very sad day, that is true. I would like to know why one of the most important departments in your buisness found out like the rest of the general public on the evening news. What a shame you didn't respect your carriers who work 365 days a year in rain, shine or snow for pennies to tell them before they learned this from the evening news. I loved the RMN and am so sad to see this is how you treat those hard working people ...

• February 26, 2009

  10:54 p.m.

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  townie writes:

  I am deeply sorry for all the staff. I thought that the Rocky's website was the best going and I regularly show my colleagues how innovative and professional it is. If you guys have been forced to fold...what hope is there for the rest of us?
  Herald Sun photographer (Australia)

• February 26, 2009

  10:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  loganthegreat writes:

  i will remember reading this paper almost every morning as a child. boo hoo!

• February 26, 2009

  10:56 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  tomvell writes:

  Sorry to hear that the paper is closing. Like to get in touch with some of the journalists to discuss about a global internet media project to offer a website to every city and village around the world. www.communitywebsites.com and www.writerspan.com are the system and we have a place for everybody to participate and continuously make money. please email tomvell@gmail.com

• February 26, 2009

  10:57 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  ESB writes:

  I've never been to Colorado except for a few days in Denver years ago, but as a fellow journalist, I'm devastated by the loss of another newspaper. My best wishes to all the RMN staff; I hope the future holds great things for each of you.

• February 26, 2009

  10:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Openminded1 writes:

  Ok, Repubs let’s say you do get everything you want, and American fails because of your lack of support, to prove a point.
  Now that America failed, along with our existence. What in the hell are you going to do. Dumb Azzes. Please give me an answer that makes some sense.......

• February 26, 2009

  10:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  chasecolston writes:

  My prayers and thoughts are with all of you at the Rocky Mountain News. As we journalists experience tension-filled workdays pretty much every day, very few of us can say we have experienced what has occurred at a marvelous, wonderful newspaper.

  Your work at the Rocky will always be remembered. Your coverage of local and national events has been impeccable, as shown by award after award. Nothing will stop your will, and your hearts, from being the outstanding journalists who have worked 20 straight hours in the newsroom to the photogs who have captured some unbelievable and beautiful moments in Colorado history.

  The pain will exist, but your strength, work-ethic and desire for journalism will always be there. Don't question your work, your effort or your ability.

  Many a fellow journalist has raised their glass for you at the Rocky Mountain News. God speed and best of wishes to you all, and I pray that you all find something new that gives you as much fullness in your heart that the Rocky did.

  Chase Colston
  The Oklahoman

• February 26, 2009

  11:08 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  bph writes:

  Repubs dont want America to fail, just Obama to fail converting the US to a socialist state.

• February 26, 2009

  11:16 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Mark Brown writes:

  Thank you to everyone who mentioned my late friend Greg Lopez in this thread. He was a great writer, a great thinker, and it's touching that some of you honor him.

• February 26, 2009

  11:18 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  avsfan71085 writes:

  wow...this is not really shocking, just really sad. RMN IS Colorado, I never liked the Denver Post. I feel really bad for all the employees of the Rocky and wish you well in your search for new jobs. What a sad say in Colorado history, I feel as if I am to blame. In recent years I stopped getting the paper because I was too busy to ever read it, so I would just look online and look at the few top stories and sports stories I wanted to read. Man, this is just crazy.

• February 26, 2009

  11:19 p.m.

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  Openminded1 writes:

  bph: re-read what you just wrote. DUH

• February 26, 2009

  11:30 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  AvariciousReader writes:

  Hearing about the Rocky's demise is almost like receiving the news about the death of an influential teacher or leader who presided over my youth, college years and subsequent years. It's really a tragedy that newspapers are collapsing in this economy (actually, even before this recession, they've suffered diminished ad revenues and circulation since the internet siphoned readers and advertisers). But the actuality of their demise, like with the Rocky, hits home. While many are actually celebrating the end of this venerable newspaper (seemingly mindless or uncaring of the employees soon to be unemployed), more thoughtful analysis cautions that the dearth of respected and responsible journalism leaves the entire population in the dark. What is the Scripps motto? Something along the lines of "Give people light and they will find their way." I recall reading that on the Rocky's front page as a child. Later, I learned the true import and meaning of that motto, first as a student of Gene Amole when he was a visiting professor at CSU and, later, as a journalism major at CU-Boulder. Thanks to his daughter for her moving and wonderful post. It's really a shame that the Rocky is shutting its doors and presses. The paper of not only my childhood, but of my ancestors' childhood (the Rocky reported the accident that took the life of my great uncle back in 1911) had to come such a sudden and sad end. Here's to you Rocky... you will be remembered.

• February 26, 2009

  11:30 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Archibald writes:

  I always thought the News had an excellent op-ed page. They devoted far more space than the Post, printed more letters to the editor and ran more editorials. I hope some of the folks moving over to the Post can make some changes in that direction.

• February 26, 2009

  11:35 p.m.

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  wbb writes:

  bummer.

• February 26, 2009

  11:38 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  SL10 writes:

  Man, oh man. This is the second time I have seen a newspaper agency go under. I remember when the Colorado Springs Sun closed shop. Oh well, there is always Yahoo news on my cell phone.

• February 26, 2009

  11:41 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Spidey writes:

  I have been reading RMN for over 30 years and still has high praise for Drew Litton. I hope they continue to publish news on-line. I don't see a reason we'll have to put up with reading Woody Paige. lol RMN will be sorely missed!

  <thwip>

• February 26, 2009

  11:48 p.m.

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  ColinDunlap writes:

  God bless each and every reporter who had to stand and listen to the announcement in your newsroom today.
  Your dignity remains intact.

  Colin Dunlap
  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette -- Sportswriter

• February 26, 2009

  11:49 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  coloradogrizzy writes:

  Thank you to the great staff at the Rocky for all the wonderful work for so many years. This is a sad day for Colorado, a loss of heritage. I still want to hang onto hope that this paper can be reborn someday, somehow.

• February 26, 2009

  11:51 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  market_man writes:

  One word: "internet"

• February 26, 2009

  11:52 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  MizMaritza writes:

  Nationwide and beyond, this is very sad news...it is tragic for everyone who works or has worked in newspaper journalism. Deep condolences from San Juan, Puerto Rico (The San Juan Star daily, which folded late last year, used to be owned by Scripps).

• February 26, 2009

  11:58 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mmmark217 writes:

  A fond farewell Rocky. Now this town will a One Newspaper town. No opposing positions being published. One thing, before you go, PLEASE TAKE ALL THE RIGHT WING CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS WITH YOU, WHERE EVER YOU MIGHT GO!!!

• February 27, 2009

  12:22 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  atheisen1977 writes:

  I am very upset that the Rocky Mtn. News is ending. I'm pissed, I'm saddened and very angry. My family has been reading the Rocky Mtn. News forever and I don't understand why nobody has done anything to help this sad situation like (Governor Bill Ritter). How could the people of Colorado just say goodbye to the best newspaper we have in this great state of ours. Now were gonna be stuck with the Post. I hate the Denver Post. If anybody out there reads this we should stand together and protest. " SAVE THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS" times were tough during the depression whats the difference now we still had the greatest newspaper around.

• February 27, 2009

  12:30 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  SteveOlin writes:

  My heart is with you, Guild brothers and sisters. May you all find fulfillment and happiness. This is a tragedy for Colorado and the news business.

  -- From a bought-out Peoria copy editor

• February 27, 2009

  12:44 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  DavidRicardo writes:

  Boy, I'm gonna' miss this paper!

  But I hope all of you in the business can find the next opportunities, right here, right now.

  It's not all in blogs, not at all.

• February 27, 2009

  12:47 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Goldie writes:

  Thank you for being my source of entertainment, critical information and downright joy. Generations of my family has been reading the Rocky. I can hardly write for the tears in my eyes. I remember once emailing to thank Brian Lehmann for one of the most amazing photographs. Until that day I think I just took my hometown news for granted. It was art combined with poetry. No words were even needed for that photo. It was mind blowing the emotion it provoked.
  The talent in the Rocky is world class and this is a sad day for Denver. I will especially miss the brilliant artistry of Judy Dehaas, Daniel Chacone, Todd Heisler, Tina Griego, and did I mention Brian Lehmann? Not just these folks but the entire family of the Rocky that’s been there every morning at my door with the good and the bad.
  I haven’t feet so sad since 9/11 and before that November of 63. It’s such an empty, hopeless feeling; Saturday will be sad and lonely without my Rocky. Love to you all…..A Denver Native and loyal reader.

• February 27, 2009

  1:08 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  prose1111 writes:

  Condolences.

  I am a former newspaper editor, editorial writer and columnist, 65, in New England. I quit my job two years ago when it felt one day just too difficult to again kick the tired mule (me) to its feet.

  It is a prize-winning daily with heroic staff that keeps plugging along, doing whatever needs to be done.

  My first baby steps were across a newsroom floor to scramble into the lap of my grandpa, at that time an editor and columnist at a newspaper which decades ago was killed off by new owners.

  My "society writer" mother met my father, reporter, at that paper.

  I'm now headed into the final phase of my life and so is the business we all loved.

  My sympathies to you all. This day stinks.

• February 27, 2009

  1:47 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  pklee527 writes:

  The best news from RMN!

  They are as corrupt, biased and deceptive as the rest of the main stream news media. RMN will not be the only one to go down. RMN---RIP!!

• February 27, 2009

  1:56 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  LauraPolkFlint writes:

  Goodnight, Sweet Prince.

  Anybody who is not bothered by the demise of a major newspaper has no perception of the scope of alliteracy and illiteracy that is sweeping through this wonderful nation. Newspapers sometimes have (many) faults, but they are such a status symbol of the Freedom to write and read ... it's a shame to see/hear that so many are falling/failing/shutting down the press.

  I've been away from Colorado for awhile, but I remember 23 years of reading the Rocky Mountain News almost everyday. I saved many, many articles and Empire Magazines (that dates me somewhat!). Oh, well ... enough said.

  Laura Polk Flint
  Lubbock, Texas

• February 27, 2009

  2:14 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  desertskies writes:

  Take care, RMN.
  I read you when I was stationed at Lowry AFB in the early 80's.
  I preferred you over the Post.
  Granted, it has been over 20+ years since I last held you, I can safely say if I were still commuting down Federal Blvd, cruising Colfax Ave or complaining of the traffic at rush hour on Speer Blvd, I'd be looking to you for news, sports and entertainment.

  Take care, RMN.

• February 27, 2009

  3:49 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  gman4013 writes:

  If the Denver Post is smart they keep Tracy Ringlesby in Denver, along with some of the other great journalists from this great paper.

  Very sad day, even though I live in Texas now, this site is the first one I go to EVERY morning. It's my connection to home.

• February 27, 2009

  4:08 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  talent4u writes:

  I just learned of RMN closing. I am a resident of Missouri and have not been to the Denver area for a year and even then just for a few days visit. Over many years I've become a fan of The Rocky Mountain News and am very sad over this news. I sure wish I could get someone to either send me or I would be happy to pay for a final copy of the paper to be mailed to me. If anyone sees this and can help please email me at musicmarketer@att.net Thanks,
  George M.
  Kansas City, MO 64133

• February 27, 2009

  4:55 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  KarenSDR writes:

  This makes me so sad. I've been reading the Rocky since I was a kid in the 1960s. I started with the funnies (Pogo was my favorite), but in 1968 I began reading the news too, after the assassination of Bobby Kennedy. I still have clippings from that story, as well as from many stories after that. You've published most of the letters I've sent, and that's been quite a few over the years. I've been a subscriber myself for decades, and I have a stack of papers in my kitchen right now. Your amazing delivery people have gotten it to me by 6AM through blizzards and all kinds of weather. Mornings just won't be the same without my familiar paper on the breakfast table. :-(

  Karen Robinson

• February 27, 2009

  5:15 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  EricCULaw98 writes:

  Sad day. Looking for the silver lining, I can't say I will miss watching Professor Campos periodically beclown himself. The world is changing. Although there's not a whole lot print journalism could have done to save itself (yep, alea jacta est), it may have had a fighting chance to reinvent itself had its practitioners been a little less confident of their innate superiority. Best wishes, folks.

• February 27, 2009

  6:39 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  MikeLynn writes:

  Very sorry to see the Rocky fold. It has been the voice of political reason in Colorado for a very long time. Sports page had great writers and a super editor (Mr. Jamiolkowski) who made this part of the paper always awesome to read even when the Rockies were loosing. It will stand as a great paper and an example of quality journalism.

• February 27, 2009

  7:15 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  LakotaWoman writes:

  My heart is saddened by what happened to this historic paper. I come from a state that has only one newspaper-the Idaho Statesman, it is a very conservative paper..it was hard to get balanced news coverage. I have subscribed to the RMN for years, and have enjoyed it tremendously. My favorite thing is the RMN, a cup of Baileys and coffee on Sunday mornings...it just won't be the same with the Post...I'll be angry before I finish the paper I'm sure. Thank all of you for all of your hard work and dedication through the years - you have been appreciated and you will not be forgotten.

• February 27, 2009

  7:35 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  drwt2b45 writes:

  No matter how hard the post tries, by getting people from the "Rocky" to help with the paper, people will not read the post. If they did not like the format yesterday they are not going to like the format next week. Trying to get people to subscript to the post, because you bought over a few people from the Rocky, thinking that would make it matter. Who came up with this idea? The people we should be concerned about are the newspaper carriers. There little paycheck just dropped by two thirds. Do they get unemployment or would they even be counted. I will get the paper from the store on Sundays, just for the TV Guide and coupons not to read the content. I can get all the news I need from the cable channels and the internet.

  Goodbye old friend

• February 27, 2009

  7:45 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  pophorn writes:

  I worked in the business office for 3 years. I started as a paperchecker and then worked in advertising customer service. I had first seen The Rocky in the late 1950's and began to read it daily when I moved to Denver in 1991. My wife also worked in the business office. We're in Florida now and read the online RMN daily. We'll miss The Rocky. So long.
  Bill & Lynda Beckman

• February 27, 2009

  7:47 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  280Pagoda writes:

  You are a beloved old friend RMN. My family and I have been lucky to call many of your employees friends. I delivered your paper when a boy. Your voice was always welcome.

  You will be sorely missed.

  The RMN is dead. Long Live the Rocky Mountain News.

• February 27, 2009

  7:49 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  longpasttime writes:

  I'm going to miss you, old friend. Take care...

• February 27, 2009

  8:39 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Allseasonsfan writes:

  I am one of the reasons the News is closing. I get all my info from the internet. You think they could have figured a way to jump into the 21st century and not publish a newspaper, but publish a news website.
  Wish it was the Post.

• February 27, 2009

  8:44 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Carol22609 writes:

  This is a sad day and we are entering a dangerous age. Television is going digital, meaning should the digital signal become "compromised", access to information will be unavailable, and getting "around the system" to make it work becomes impossible. Newspapers have been the free-market dissemination of information for over 150 years and now the "free" part of that is also being compromised, as choice by readers is being taken away.

  I fear with the absence of balanced, competitive journalism, the public will be spoon fed only that which the "powers that be" deem appropriate, and keeping people in the dark is the first step to controlling behaviors, decisions and free will.

  This is not the "promise" of the bright future we discussed as kids in the then wonderful public school system.

  My heart goes out to all who have spent their careers as print journalists at the News, and I wish you blessings and opportunities that continue to provide you a voice in our city and this world. Namaste.

• February 27, 2009

  8:46 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  pabarge writes:

  As a committed American patriot and Conservative, I can hardly stand still for the schadenfreude I am experiencing.

  You people distorted the news with your Liberal slant, basically lying through your teeth in order to use your business to peddle your hate-America agenda.

• February 27, 2009

  8:48 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  sweetater writes:

  WOW I am trying I registered then when I try to log on to comment it tells me I am not who I am. I may have to use a different But the way I love taters it will be along those lines. But if I don't get there, I will truely truely miss you!!!

• February 27, 2009

  8:56 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  kballison writes:

  The sad and ironic thing is that at the end of the stories posted today, there is a chance to "subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News". I worked for a small newspaper in MI many years ago and the owner/publisher of that paper used to refer to the process as "newspapering". I guess newspapering in CO is dead today. So sad!

• February 27, 2009

  9:16 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  patrickinNY writes:

  Can someone please let me know how I can find the final edition in New York? I am in Long Island, can visit any newstand in any of the boroughs... but I have called a few and they do not carry it... any ideas? help?

  thanks

• February 27, 2009

  9:26 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  patrickinNY writes:

  not sure if my last comments posted :( can someone tell me how I can go about buying a copy of last edition since I live in NY? i can be emailed at pmonahan @ combineddbl.com

  thank you!

• February 27, 2009

  9:34 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  kvitko writes:

  GREAT final edition...thank You for all the work You have done, You will be missed very much...

• February 27, 2009

  9:41 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  wow writes:

  sweetater---
  get a different email addy, like with gmail or such, for the purpose of using with the post and other groups. That way, you can go back on and re-do your sign on info. You don't have to use your given name, or any of the original ID info, to avoid confusion with the system, and the extra email addy can just sit there, fill with spam, and rot.
  That's what I wound up doing.

• February 27, 2009

  9:59 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  sweetater writes:

  Thanks wow see you there

• February 27, 2009

  10:46 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  sorbonne67 writes:

  All of Colorado is not 'burning' this time, but tearful and sad that
  this icon of journalism should be putting out its last edition today.
  The reality is that the media in America are owned by a few
  wealthy men or corporations, and like any investors they are
  interested in growing their wealth through profits. In the service
  of the latter goal, most of the papers in the country can't afford
  enough journalists to be fully independent, so most papers fill
  a lot of space with stories ripped from the AP wires.

  In that context, the performance of the Rocky in recent years
  has been nothing short of remarkable. The Pulitzer Prizes
  speak for themselves, as do the many other awards showered
  on what can genuinely be called an award winning staff -- in
  spades. In fact, you have had so many good writers and
  columnists, that it is understandable that you were not able to
  include a special half-page on all of them. Pasquale Marranzino
  certainly deserved a mention, but knowing him, he would simply
  be proud of the standard of journalism the paper has ultimately
  achieved, compared to the '60's when it sensationalistically ran
  such things as "a box score on crime" and its content then too
  often matched its format.

  By contrast, we have been treated to such seminal series as
  the exhaustive study of Denver Public School students, and
  their perigrinations to nearby schools in neighboring suburbs;
  the unforgettable series on Border Street by Tina Griego; the
  massive mobilization of journalistic tools around the capture of
  Mark Carr in the Jon Benet Ramsey case, where for the first
  time truly comprehensive reporting gave us parts of a picture
  that had not surfaced before. [For what it's worth, I believe the
  case can still be solved -- one would want to check the DNA
  evidence of the one individual who died, as the likely assailant,
  and look again at the style of expression of Mark Carr in his
  yearbook writings, and compare to the note left in the Ramsey
  house. The similarities in the latter case are chilling.]

  Apropos of media ownership concentrated in the hands of a few
  wealthy corporations and their execs, it surely had an impace on
  the staffing of the edit pages, where in recent years they no
  longer had time to read serious commentary from one of the
  most educated populations in the nation. The result, however,
  was that the Rocky joined most other dailies in an abandonment
  of the marketplace of ideas to mindless downloading of a few
  national columnists -- thus leaving the formation of American
  public opinion to the all too predictable ideologies of a handful
  of pundits. America deserves better than that. Perhaps in a
  new age of print media, not owned by the wealthy few, a new
  business model will appear that allows the public forum so
  essential to democracy to once again flourinsh.

• February 27, 2009

  11:08 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  xocyn writes:

  Omg. How sad, I no longer live in Denver anymore I moved to Chicago about 5 years ago but I lived there for 11 years grew up there. I saw it today in the news and omg how sad. I would read the RMN I preferred your layout over the DP. I almost feel like crying that's how sad and shocked I am. But then again I'm pregnant so I'm emotional.

• February 27, 2009

  11:27 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  gohm writes:

  I no longer live in Colorado but always look up the paper to see what is going on back home. It saddens me so much to know that the paper I love so much will no longer be. I remeber those sunday mornings when dad would get the paper and we would all listen and take turns at reading the RMN, There are many stories I still remeber like the thompson flood and when conoco blew, and when denver went to the superbowl. All the stories are still in my mind and the RMN helped us remeber those stories. You will be missed and there will be a great void in Denver, please know that our prayers go out to all of you. You will be missed.

• February 27, 2009

  11:36 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  sweetater writes:

  wow and all I am Little Tater now

• February 27, 2009

  11:46 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  daveg35 writes:

  Sorry to hear of the closing. I've been following the Broncos in the Rocky and the Denver Post since I was in junior high school, first by patronizing Hotaling's Out of Town Newsstand in New York, where I grew up, and then on the internet. Despite the fact that I've only been to Denver half a dozen times and never lived there, I read the Rocky regularly on the internet, and it will be greatly missed.

• February 27, 2009

  12:01 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Fat_Tire writes:

  I moved away from Colorado in 1998 and have been going to RMN.com almost everyday. RMN is way better than the Post. The current paper that I get (Star Tribune), I get on Sunday's and ONLY for the ads, our paper bites! I will miss the special interest stories I.E. The Crossing and Final Salute are the two that come to mind. Good luck to the staff, I will miss you. BTW, this is my 1st and last post.

• February 27, 2009

  12:04 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mildmannered1 writes:

  RIP, Rocky. I've been gone from CO for 7 years and still miss my Rocky. Thank you all for your good work. This feels like the death of a good friend. G-d bless you all.

• February 27, 2009

  12:27 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sweetater writes:

  Hank You comin to the post with us won't be the same without you.
  Wow What did you do in Oz ?Told you not to look behind the curtain.See you at the post and bring your little dog too. I could probably still recite that whole movie !!!!

• February 27, 2009

  12:28 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  cmsivula writes:

  My heart sank this morning as I heard Harry Smith of CBS This Morning tell of the closing of the Rocky. He spoke with a catch in his voice of how important it had been to him during his years in Denver. I am one of those readers who grew up in Denver, cutting my teeth as it were, reading the Rocky Mountain News - it was easier to handle when you were a kid.

  Anytime that there was any important world event - the Assassination of President Kennedy, or an election, or the launch of a rocket, you always ran for the Rocky - and finished up your reading at the end of the day with the Post. I have many headlines in scrapbooks from the Rocky Mtn News. I simply cannot believe that it won't be around any longer.

  My family moved to Florida nearly 20 years ago, and I have often reflected on how I wished that we had the same caliber of newspapers here that we did in Denver. Sad to say, it is not the same. Now it definitely won't be the same.

  I feel as though a very dear friend has died today. I can't imagine what it must be like for all of you. It is really too bad that the end came so close to the 150th birthday - Scripps really could have held out long enough for that milestone......it shows just how heartless the execs at the top of the pile can be these days.

  To all of you who have lost your jobs as a result of this, may God bless you and your families.

• February 27, 2009

  1:06 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  StephHayes writes:

  I have many, many memories of sitting at the kitchen table with my parents while they drank their morning coffee and read The Rocky. I loved most when they were done and I could steal the back pages and do the Wuzzles and read my horoscope and the comics. I loved the feel of the soft, inky paper between my fingers... loved to see the words smudge from my donut-glaze covered fingers. I looked forward to Wednesday's when MY paper came (the Mini Page) and I could sit up at the table with my own little section of news. I believe my love of reading began to grow all those years ago, and it has never stopped. Thanks for the memories, Rocky.

• February 27, 2009

  3:24 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  dirty writes:

  While it is sad whenever anyone loses their job, let's face it the RMN had been going down the pan for years; shoddy reporting, zero investigation, poor writing skills...

• February 27, 2009

  4:33 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  bulldogs09 writes:

  gafcob you prove why liberals are not the loving, excepting people they claim to be. You are a hate monger that despises anyone that disagrees with you. I do give you credit, you are a lib that reads the paper and then interprets it to your thinking. I know, Bush is to blame for RMN folding because they were so far right in their editorials. They were pro Bush. Prediction gafcob, Republicans will have back both Houses in two years and the White House in four years. If this first few weeks are any indication of Mr. Obama's leadership we are in the toilet for at least two years. Hey, at least you have the Post and Air America to get your news. Good luck with that!

• February 27, 2009

  4:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  rocky_mtn_raider_nation writes:

  I have grown up with RMN and this is a rare time in my adulthood that something like this has brought me to tears. Yet the Rocky felt like family and its loss is a tangible one to the state I love. That magazine style format was such a rarity among news mags. But it was the quality of the content that surpassed its local counterpart CONSISTENTLY for decades, that is the real issue with this last issue.

  Don't gloat Denver Posters. I'm not that motivated to continue my subscription that you pick up once it expires. That is probably a common feeling among RMN's circulation. Reading the Rocky was a relaxing novelty when we really our news sources are accessed via the web and on demand DVR!

  I wish all of the employees at RMN my very best to you and your families. I hope that each and everyone of you do well in your future endeavors. YOUR WORK WILL BE MISSED. A most affectionate thank you for a job well done without peer!

• February 27, 2009

  5:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  conform_no_more writes:

  How can I get a copy of the last edition? I'm in California now. I often went to a local bookstore when I was in Florida and bought Sunday editions. I tried a subscription once but it was unreliable. Is there a source to get the last edition for posterity?

• February 27, 2009

  8:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  vertex1957 writes:

  You don't get it do you? This was a rag of the lowest order that deserves absolutely nothing. Peter Metzger and the insipient yellow journalists have ruined and destroyed many an upstanding Coloradan. There is a special place in hell for these bottom-dwellers and they are going there now!

• February 28, 2009

  10:29 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Kevin Flynn writes:

  iggypuppet writes: "To Kevin Flynn... may God bless you and keep you well. My late step-father was someone you covered, and you were always his favorite reporter because you were always fair."

  I don't know if any of you are still coming around here, but thanks, iggypuppet. I am very curious, who was your step-father? Twenty-seven years is a long time and I've written thousands of stories about people and I was curious. You can reach me at kevin.j.flynn@comcast.net

• March 1, 2009

  10:52 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  imjonah writes:

  Rocky may have had a chance if it had truly offered and alternative voice, a couple token conservatives and endorsing Republicans around election time doesn't a conservative or even a centrist paper make it. The columnists, reporters and editors were overwhelmingly liberals or worse. Any controversial local issue that could be spun left was spun left.
  I canceled my subscription when an FBI investigation of some local anarchist(lets trash a Starbucks to protest globalization) enablers was called and "FBI inquisition". I called the reporter personally and asked her if that was a misprint did she really mean to use the word "inquisition". She very tersely informed me that it was not her choice of words, it was her editor who had inserted the word.

  I was happy to see that the Post picked up Vince Carroll
  he was kind of the Rockie's Charles Krauthiemer someone whose knowledge and logic was an order of magnitude greater than his associates.

• March 2, 2009

  1:33 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gerryf writes:

  I'm wondering how all those of you who say it was the "liberal" writers' own fault that the RMN is going under feel about the jobs of pressmen and women, the people selling advertising, the paper carriers, the designers and graphic artists.

  Is it their fault too? They should all be without jobs?

  Regardless of what you think about the RMN political bent, wishing people to be unemployed is very cold-hearted and inhumane. These people put themselves on the line, out in the open, every edition, for the readers....sad that people can be so cold at a time when families will be without income.