The Case for Citizen Ownership of the Los Angeles Times

THE CASE FOR CITIZEN OWNERSHIP OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
[SOURCE: MediaShift, AUTHOR: Mark Glaser]
[Commentary] Corporate ownership of daily newspapers is reaching the breaking point, especially now at the Los Angeles Times , which is owned by the Chicago-based Tribune Company media conglomerate. The newspaper is facing the same problem that hundreds of other newspapers are facing: Owners and stockholders who want profit growth each year, who want to cut back on editorial staff, and who could care less about the communities and people who actually read and gain insight from the newspaper. And there’s that massive problem of people reading dead-tree edition newspapers less and reading electronic online versions more — leading to smaller profits at the moment. So if the corporate owners of the Los Angeles Times are growing impatient with stagnating profits, why not let the readers take charge of the destiny of the paper, not just as citizen journalists but as citizen owners? The NFL has its “Personal Seat Licenses” for various stadiums, and the Green Bay Packers have issued stock four times so their fans can buy a piece of the team. Local public broadcasting and even Salon.com have survived for years with the support of membership drives and pledges from the community. So why not newspapers?
http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2006/09/newspapershiftthe_case_for_cit.html