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In theory, Kevin Klein’s gambit to lead a group of investors to repatriate the Winnipeg Sun from the clutches of Postmedia is a good move.
In theory, local ownership from someone as rooted in the community as a former city councillor, provincial cabinet minister and wannabe mayor is far better for a newspaper than a hedge fund-controlled chain headquartered in Toronto.
And to be clear, no one in our industry wants to see newspapers fail. If anything, a success story anywhere is cause for celebration — and then emulation.
But there’s theory, and then there’s reality.
Our first reality check is the Free Press and Sun are no longer really rivals, at least not the way newspaper rivalries used to exist.
The severe headwinds all newspapers are facing in the attention economy are driven by intense new competition for the bandwidth that exists when people are not sleeping.
So, the rivalry is no longer the Sun vs. the Free Press. Instead it’s journalism vs. the endless stream of distractions coming at us via smartphones, washing out whatever time we used to set aside to consume news.
Start with TikTok and Netflix. Fold in Facebook, Instagram and X. Add a dash of Candy Crush and a sprinkle of Wordle.
Before you know it, the news of the day has been overwhelmed, overlooked and undervalued.
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The reality is: the Sun Klein will be overseeing is a publication increasingly dependent on readers to make up for retreating revenue from advertisers.
But what happens if there’s not enough people willing to pay? The esteemed Washington Post recently found the answer, reporting losses of US $77 million last year. In case you haven’t noticed, the Post has a lot more readers than the Sun — and an owner by the name of Jeff Bezos whose pockets are much deeper than Klein’s.
The next bit of reality involves what exactly Klein has purchased.
The Sun newsroom of today is far from the one of its heyday decades ago. The number of local journalists in its employ can be counted on two hands. A byline count of today’s print edition reveals only eight locally produced articles. Perhaps that explains why the Sun was hours behind both the Free Press and CBC in publishing a story on Klein’s purchase when it was announced Monday.
A final bit of reality revolves around who or what exactly is the Klein Group. Its website lists literally nothing beyond some vague chatter about the belief that “local, factual and unbiased news is critical in today’s social environment.” There’s no mention of the fact it has purchased the Sun, along with the Kenora Miner and News and the Graphic Leader in Portage la Prairie.
As for who is part of the Klein Group, well, the website offers no clues nor any names – despite a commitment to “truth and transparency.”
It’s no secret Klein has an interest in leading the provincial Tories. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that a newspaper under his control could serve as a platform for him to launch a leadership run, especially given his penchant for column writing.
But politics is one thing and keeping a newspaper afloat is another.
As of June 1, when his deal closes, Klein will need to find ways to keep making payroll for however many staff remain in his Sun’s orbit.
Whatever Klein fondly remembers about the newspaper business from his prior days as publisher probably no longer applies now, given the storm clouds hovering over the news ecosystem.
Our newsroom has no shortage of staff who once worked at the Sun, and those connections mean prayers are being said here for our peers a block over on Church Avenue.
Alas, a new dawn is no guarantee of a bright sunshiny day.
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