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To Our Readers
CANADIAN publisher David Black, of Victoria, B.C., has been front-page news this week in Honolulu. When Federal Magistrate Barry Kurren selected him as the sole bidder qualified to buy the Star-Bulletin and end a year of uncertainty, a ripple of genuine, if still tentative, relief washed through the newsroom. The Star-Bulletin
stays the courseIt still remains for Black and the owners of the city's two dailies to negotiate the terms of a purchase that would extricate the Bulletin from a joint business operation that dates back almost 40 years. To paraphrase the title of Roger Welsch's book about life on the Great Plains: "It's not the end of the road, but we can see it from here."
Two weeks ago, we observed the anniversary of the Sept. 16, 1999 announcement that the Star-Bulletin was to close in 45 days. Surviving for a year after reading our own obituary has been nerve-racking, to say the least.
Other people filed suits, argued, granted injunctions, filed appeals, denied appeals, argued some more, negotiated settlements, named brokers, submitted bids, performed due diligence, rejected bids, resubmitted bids. Meanwhile, our task was to stay focused on getting out two editions a day, six days a week. The show must go on -- that's what it's all about.
Through it all, most Star-Bulletin readers have stuck with us. We're sincerely grateful for that support and for the hundreds of letters, emails and phone calls. You showed us that the Star-Bulletin is more than a paper -- it's a family. Thank you.
Holding the family together has been crucial. Some staffers have taken jobs elsewhere, but so far the departures haven't significantly outnumbered those in years past. Most have been unavoidable: spouses transferred, a retirement, health problems or a chance to grab the opportunity of a lifetime.
Our year in purgatory gave folks a chance to think about living in a one-newspaper town. They tell us they really don't like the idea.
We make waves, and David Black says he "knows how to scrap." Sounds like a good fit.
Bulletin shutdown archive
John Flanagan is editor and publisher of the Star-Bulletin.
To reach him call 525-8612, fax to 523-8509, send
e-mail to publisher@starbulletin.com or write to
P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802.
