If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em
The Houston Chronicle attempted to whitewash its massive layoffs and cost reductions (coming about, no doubt, because of a decreasing revenue) back in October by promising exciting new products.
It doesn't appear that the newspaper will be developing any new products or improving the current declining product.
Rather, the Chron plans on busting into the Spanish-language market via the acquisition route:
The Houston Chronicle has acquired the weekly Spanish-language paper La Voz.
Jack Sweeney, the Chronicle's publisher and president, and Olga Ordóñez, publisher of La Voz de Houston, announced the sale to their staffs Thursday.
Ordóñez and her 13-member staff will remain at the paper, which she and her husband, Armando, began in 1979. Ordóñez will continue in her role as publisher and will report to Sweeney.
"We're delighted that Olga has agreed to sell the paper to the Houston Chronicle and will be staying on to teach us even more about providing news and information to the Spanish-speaking community," Sweeney said in a statement.
La Voz and the Houston Chronicle have worked together for 13 years, with the Chronicle printing and distributing La Voz, sharing some stories, and selling ads into the weekly. With the new arrangement, La Voz will gain editorial and advertising sales support from the Chronicle.
La Voz has a circulation of 100,000 and covers news, sports, food, and entertainment. It will join La Vibra, a weekly entertainment tabloid, as one of the Chronicle's Spanish-language products.
We rather doubt Ordóñez will be remaining with her old newspaper for long. Newspapers don't have co-publishers. Sweeney is the publisher now, and no doubt is planning changes. Indeed, one rather expects that MeMo has already unveiled plans to replace the name of the Entertainment section with a great big jalapeno!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/03/04 05:53 PM | Houston Chronicle | Print | Comments (1)
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