Rocky down for the count

It was shocking to read of the sudden closure of the Rocky Mountain News. The writing, presumably, was on the wall, but to come to work to find out that the institution you work for — and the Rocky was an institution (the paper was shuttered 55 days before its 150th birthday) — will cease to exist tomorrow.

The paper’s staff put together a documentary of sorts that seems to be directed more to the paper’s owner, The E.W. Scripps Co., than to its Colorado audience.

Twin Cities readers and writers might see the words of Scripps President and CEO Rich Boehne as an omen: “Denver can’t support two newspapers any longer.”

Update: I left this in a comment but it seems worthy of noting in the entry itself.

Apparently the Rocky folks wanted — and tried — to continue on as an online-only ‘paper’ but the company’s joint operating agreement with the Denver Post wouldn’t allow it.